Beyond The Veil (Year 1)
by JosieVang2
Summary: Many years have passed since Bastila Phoenix, daughter of Voldemort, entered the magical world. Now, the Statute of Secrecy is no more, wars have come and gone, and it's a brave new world. And it's time for the next generation to step into the spotlight. Follow Bastila's daughter as she and her friends start their first year at Hogwarts. Sequel Series to Heir To The Dark Lord!
1. Brave New World

Beyond The Veil is the first book in the sequel series to Heir to The Dark Lord! So read it, review it, and all that! :)

End of Authors Note!

* * *

><p>Bastila and Daphne Phoenix had been happily married for eleven years now. Their daughter, Jennifer, incidentally, had just turned eleven. This meant she would be getting her Hogwarts acceptance letter very soon, and would begin her education in the magical castle. Through the use of blood adoption, Jennifer Phoenix inherited a mixture of physical and mental traits from both her parents, as well as a fair share of their magical abilities. And as the blood child of two extremely gifted and powerful Witches, one of them a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, Jennifer was, needless to say, incredibly powerful.<p>

This made raising her more than a little difficult at times, especially for Bastila, who had taken many years to fully adjust to living in the magical world and had had no experience in raising a child, let alone one prone to accidental magical outbursts! With temper tantrums that could shake rooms, Bastila had her work cut out for her.

Thankfully, Daphne was there to pick up the slack in that area, having been born and raised a Witch. Everything was, as ever with the couple, a team effort, and they both played to their strengths when needed. Raising their child was no exception. Despite the maternal challenges, things were peaceful in the Phoenix home. All was well even with the world at large. There were no wars, no major conflicts. Though that wasn't to say that there weren't any duels with the odd criminal or two, for Daphne in particular.

After all, being an Auror was a tough job.

Bastila's job, while just as stressful, was nowhere near as dangerous as her wife's. She was the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, as well as the Head of Slytherin House, and had held the positions for ten years. Although she also had a secondary job at the Ministry. She was part of a special, recent department with the focus of keeping track of and protecting non-sentient magical creatures. Or stopping them from doing harm. Basically animal control, except that it dealt with Boggarts, Dementors, and other dark creatures rather than dogs and cats. Her job was to make sure they didn't stray into populated areas, and deal with them if they did. The job was hard, but rewarding. Bastila had had a love of magical creatures ever since she had started at Hogwarts, and when the opportunity to take the job had arisen, Bastila had taken it with pleasure.

The years went by quickly for the Phoenix family, and, in no time at all it seemed, the day had finally arrived: The day Jennifer got her letter.

It was the last month of Summer, and Jennifer Phoenix was just opening her bedroom window when an owl flew in with a thick envelope attached to its leg. Jennifer was ecstatic. She untied the envelope and sent the owl on its way. The Hogwarts crest was shining brightly on the front of the envelope. Jennifer rushed into her parents bedroom and tossed the letter down in front of them on the bed with a quickly uttered "I got my letter!".

Before either of her parents could say anything, a series of hysterical hissing was heard throughout the house. It was, of course, Nyssa. The serpent came slithering into the room, past Jennifer, and she looked around before she reared up and stared at the envelope on the bed. Then the snake devolved into more of her loud, shrill hissing, but this time it sounded remarkably like she was laughing.

She was.

Jennifer turned her bright, teal colored eyes on Nyssa and started hissing at her, rapidly, in Parseltongue. *What's so funny? This is an important day for me!*

Nyssa stopped laughing almost immediately. She lowered her head in apology, then hissed out, *I'm sorry, young one. I was just concerned by all the noise. But when I saw the envelope, I laughed. It's amusing to think that you've become so excited over...You've been accepted to Hogwarts, haven't you?*

*Sorry I scared you.* Jennifer smiled embarrassedly, reaching over and patting Nyssa on the head. *But you're right. It's my Hogwarts acceptance letter! I've been waiting for this day since I was, like, six!*

*Hmmm. You HAVE grown up fast.* Nyssa said thoughtfully.

*I believe you were about to tell us something very important?* Bastila cut in, having followed the conversation.

Daphne on the other hand, was, as ever, completely clueless as to what any of them were saying; She just sat there with a little smile on her face, waiting patiently. What she DID know, however, was that the letter at the end of her bed was her daughters Hogwarts letter, but Daphne thought it was best to let Jennifer announce it herself and not spoil her "Surprise".

"Oh, sorry mom." Jennifer looked at both her mothers for a second, then smiled and brushed her dark brown hair out of her face. "This," She cried, picking up the Hogwarts envelope and holding it up with a flourish for her parents to see, all dramatics. "Is my Hogwarts acceptance letter! It's finally here, I can't believe it! I'm going to Hogwarts!"

"That's great!" Daphne smiled widely at her daughter, clapping lightly.

"You've grown so quickly." Bastila said, smiling as well.

Jennifer stepped over to her parents and hugged them both tightly. "I can't wait to get my wand."

*No more stealing your mothers' wands.* Nyssa said, sticking her tongue out at Jennifer all too deliberately.

"What?" Bastila said in surprise, jumping on Nyssa's words instantly. She narrowed her eyes at Jennifer and waited.

"What?" Daphne echoed, looking between her wife and daughter.

"I'm sorry!" Jennifer cried, throwing Nyssa a look of betrayal. She refocused on her parents, who were waiting patiently for an explanation. "I've kind of been using your wands when you aren't around. I just wanted to do magic of my own so badly and..I'm sorry..."

Daphne and Bastila traded silent looks. Daphne looked about to laugh, while Bastila was frowning.

"I can understand that." Bastila said softly, getting her daughters attention. Jennifer had been staring at the floor in shame, but she looked up at her mothers words. "It's alright. You didn't hurt anyone, and I'm sure you didn't try any dangerous spells, did you?"

"No! I just used it to make little tiny fireworks!" Jennifer answered. She glanced at Daphne and added, "There was this one time I needed to fix a cup I broke so I took your wand and used the repairo spell."

"Well that's good." Daphne said, giggling just a bit. Then she got herself under control. She gave Bastila a half smile. "Nothing dangerous happened, Bas."

Bastila sighed, then she smiled reassuringly at Jennifer. "Alright, you're off the hook little missy. But promise me that you won't take our wands without our permission again."

"Promise." Jennifer agreed whole-heartedly. "And sorry, again."

"It's okay sweetie." Daphne said kindly. "Now I think you should take prissy scales to your room where she can tell you all about Hogwarts." Daphne gave Nyssa a meaningful look.

Nyssa shook her head, gave a short hiss at "Prissy scales" and slithered out of the room, followed closely by Jennifer, who was clutching her Hogwarts envelope tightly in her hands.

The bedroom was silent after daughter and serpent had left it. Daphne smirked at Bastila.

"I take it you knew?" Said Bastila.

"Priori Incantatum. Yeah, I knew." Daphne replied, still smirking. "Did you?"

"Of course I knew. I just wanted our daughter to learn a valuable lesson."

"I don't believe you."

Bastila slapped Daphne's shoulder none too gently. "Believe that?"

Daphne shook her head. "Still don't."

* * *

><p>"Is there a portrait of Tom Riddle at Hogwarts?" Jennifer asked of Nyssa, who was laying beside her on the bed. Nyssa was resting her serpentine head on Jennifer's stomach, enjoying being petted. "It'd be sort of wicked to talk to him."<p>

*Not at Hogwarts, no...But why would you want to do that when you can simply ask your parents to take you to St. Mungos and speak to the real Tom Riddle?* Nyssa asked, confused.

"It's not that. It's not like I want to talk to the portrait because I want to talk to granddad. I want to compare grandad to his portrait." Jennifer explained.

*Is this another one of your Muggle experiments?*

Jennifer nodded. "Uh-huh. I know that the portraits have the essence of the real peson put in them. That's how they have personality and memories. But how much of it do they REALLY have? How far does it go? How deep is it? What happens if you find something they can't respond to? Do they freeze? Do they explode?! These are questions the wizarding world has to know the answers to!"

*But you are only asking the questions from a Muggle perspective. If Bastila didn't encourage you to think critically and view things as a Muggle as well as a Witch, you wouldn't care about these things.* Nyssa raised her head a little, staring up at Jennifer's face. Jennifer drew her hand away from Nyssa. *Why would the Wizarding world care about these questions when it never crosses their minds to begin with?*

"That's easy. There are alot of Muggle-Borns out there, and a lot more of them going to Hogwarts and other magic schools than ever before. Ever since the Statute of Secrecy was removed, anyway. They probably think about these things too, and I'm going to give them the answers." Jennifer said confidently.

Nyssa put her head down again. She was pleased that Jennifer was showing how sharp she could be. It was true, what the child had said. Nyssa herself had noticed the increase in Muggle-Borns since the Statute of Secrecy's removal so many years ago. With nothing stopping the magical community from interacting with Muggles, more Wizards and Witches were being found in the Muggle world than ever before.

*I'm sure the Muggle-Born children will appreciate your insight.* Nyssa hissed to Jennifer, shaking herself out of her musings.

Jennifer smiled brightly. "Thanks, sis."

Nyssa felt her heart skip a beat. She always felt touched when the young one referred to her as a sibling, despite how many times it had happened over the years. Nyssa was always treated as an equal in the Phoenix household, not as some pet or lower life form, something she always marvelled at. This had also been happening out in the rest of the world as well. With the Magical Creatures department of the Ministry taken down, Werewolf protection laws enacted, and many other things, Non-Human sentients were finally being recognized and treated as equals.

It was amazing to Nyssa that something that seemed so horrific years ago had resulted in the Wizarding and Muggle worlds springing into a peaceful co-existence. A golden age for all. *Do you have anything else to ask?* Nyssa said, coming out of her thoughts.

"Well...Do you think I'd be good at Quidditch? Remember when my parents took us to the England versus Japan match? All the flying and dodging and everthing. It was awesome to watch, and I'd like to try out for the Hogwarts team of whatever House I get put in, but I don't think I'd be fast enough to be any good."

*You don't have anything to lose by trying. Even if you fail to join the team you can always try again the next year.* Nyssa advised gently. She had watched over and protected Jennifer throughout the course of her life so far, just as the serpent had done for Bastila when Bastila had been a child. Nyssa wasn't too good at giving advice, but in her role as an "Older sister" to Jennifer, as the girl considered the serpent, Nyssa had always tried her best to help the child with her problems.

"I'd look stupid in front of everyone, that's losing something. My public image." Jennifer said flippantly.

*You shouldn't care about what others may think of you.*

"It's impossible for me to not care! My whole family is famous! You're famous, my parents are famous, my grandfather is famous. You and my parents fought in the war with Grindelwald, mommy Bastila brought grandfather back to the good side and ended Voldemorts evil AND she personally beat Grindelwald and brought about an end to the war. Oh, and she dueled and captured Voldemort when she was fourteen, and a bunch of times after that." Jennifer let out a woosh of air as she caught her breath. Her frustration didn't leave her. "I just feel like I have to live up to all of you, and I'm not doing a good job so far. I haven't done anything important or special. But if I join Quidditch..."

*It doesn't have to be Quidditch, if you really feel as if you wouldn't be able to do it. What about the magical arts class, or the debate teams, or even the dueling club?* Suggested Nyssa.

"THOSE classes and activities didn't even exist when my parents were at Hogwarts. It won't be as big of a deal if I'm good at them." Jennifer was feeling more frustrated than ever.

*Jennifer, please don't talk like this.* Nyssa urged, sensing, and plainly seeing, the girls' agitation. "Your parents have wanted you to grow up as yourself alone. I have watched you do that wonderfully so far and I would not want you to stop now, and neither would your parents. I think that now more than ever, your time at Hogwarts will be the time to truly show who YOU are, what YOU can do. You are not your parents, young one, and they wouldn't want you to try to be them.*

"I guess you're right." Jennifer said seriously after a long silence. She smiled. "I'm unique, and I should try to keep it that way."

*That's right.* Nyssa mentally sighed with relief and nodded her head at the child's words. Thankfully, Nyssa reflected as Jennifer resumed stroking her scaly head, the child hadn't inherited either of her mothers' (sometimes troublesome) determination and stubbornness.

* * *

><p>The month of August passed by all too slowly for Jennifer. September 1st seemed a lifetime away. But that wasn't the sole cause of Jennifer's excitement and anticipation. On the last week of August, when Jennifer had been out in the backyard playing with Nyssa in the garden, her parents had come out to tell her that it was time to take her to Diagon Alley to get her school supplies.<p>

Which only meant one thing as far as Jennifer was concerned: Wand.

"Why do we have to live so far away?" Jennifer asked, trying, and failing, not to sound like she was whining. She was fully aware that Bastila had grown up here in the United States and had lived with Jennifer's namesake, her grandmother, but she also knew that Bastila had been raised in London during her teenage years by Severus Snape. Jennifer always wondered why her mother would have chosen to return to the States, rather than stay in Britain where she had so many happy things like Hogwarts and Diagon Alley and the Magical world she'd been exposed to.

A part of Jennifer suspected it had to do with her parents' fame. To stay in Britain would be to constantly be bombarded with everything they'd accomplished and done, including being reminded of the war. Which was something else Jennifer thought might have led to her parents making the decision to live in the States. Friends and loved ones had died in Britain during the war, and they'd seen plenty of other horrible things happen there, many of them Jennifer knew about from reading history books since her parents didn't like to talk about it.

But neither option made much sense, seeing as her parents both had jobs in Britain, and they were always regarded with hero worship and praise and bombarded by the media whenever they simply stepped out of the house!

"It'll only take half a second to get there by apparition, you know that by now." Daphne chided Jennifer, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. "The distance doesn't matter, Jenn."

"I know, sorry mom. I'm just really excited." Jennifer quickly replied, blushing and lowering her eyes to Nyssa, who was gently biting her fangs into Jennifer's pant leg in preparation for Apparition. Daphne took Jennifer's hand, who took Bastila's hand, and they disappeared from the house without making a sound.

The family reappeared in the middle of a bustling, heavily crowded Diagon Alley, right in front of Olivanders Wand Shop. Looking in through the shop window, Jennifer could see a girl her own age talking to Olivander, along with who Jennifer assumed were her parents. The family was clearly Muggle, based on their clothes, which meant that the girl being fitted for a wand was Muggle Born. Then again, with how both societies blended together, she could have been a witch who preferred Muggle clothes to robes, like Jennifer's own family did.

Jennifer looked down at Nyssa. "You better go invisible. Muggles aren't used to seeing giant snakes as anything except dangerous monsters. Sorry. Centaurs are cute, Elves are cute, even Hyppogriffs can be cute, but snakes don't really get seen as cute."

Nyssa detached her fangs from Jennifer's pants, looking up at the girl with an offended air. *I can be cute. You've called me cute before.* Nyssa turned her head to Bastila and Daphne. *You've heard her call me cute before too.*

"That's very considerate of you, Jennifer." Bastila praised, smiling lightly, and very pointedly ignoring Nyssa's words. Bastila looked into the shop herself, then flicked a finger at Nyssa. The snake instantly began to shrink. When she was done shrinking, Nyssa was only a foot long.

*Nooooo!* Nyssa wailed, horrified at her new size. *How could you do this to me?! I'm a hatchling all over again!*

*Oh you'll get over it. Now get on Jenny.* Bastila instructed, rolling her eyes at the serpent's theatrics. Nyssa flew up to Jennifer's outstretched arm and wrapped herself around the giggling child's wrist, then folded her wings, hissing obscenities and dark vows at Bastila the entire time.

"You should really do that more often." Daphne laughed.

"I really should." Bastila agreed, smiling. She opened the door to Olivander's and led Jennifer and Daphne inside. Jennifer pulled the sleeve of her sweater down to cover Nyssa as she entered Olivander's Shop, least the Muggle family see the snake.

"Olivander." Bastila dipped her head at the old Wizard after she had sat down on a bench in front of the window. Daphne and Jennifer sat with her as well.

"It has been quite a while since you have been in my shop, Miss Riddle." Olivander said softly, his eyes widening. He handed another wand to the Muggle Born girl. "Ah, try this one. And don't fret, I have never had a single customer who has not been chosen."

"It's actually still Phoenix, no matter what the reporters and history books say." Bastila said lightly, giving Olivander a smile. "I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to switch to the name of Riddle."

"I see." Olivander's eyes moved to Jennifer and lingered there, before returning his gaze to the Muggle Born girl in front of him who had just caused sparks to fly from her wand. "Oh very good! Yes, this wand clearly agrees with you!"

The girl went over to her parents, smiling as she took their praise. In that time that she turned around, Jennifer got a good look at her for the first time.

The Muggle girl had yellow-blond colored hair that was very, very frizzy and messy. It was all kept on one side of her head, hanging down just past her chest. Her eyes were a dark blue.

"Hi." Jennifer said with a little wave, suddenly feeling extremely shy.

The Muggle girl just stared, then her face broke into a wide smile. She waved back, but still didn't say a word as she walked up to Jennifer. She instead raised her arms to her chest and started to make intricate and complex movements with her hands and fingers.

Jennifer recognized it immediately as Sign Language. Jennifer had spent many weeks out of her summers in the past with a friend of her parents, a Deaf Muggle woman who was almost like an aunt to Jennifer. She could understand and speak Sign Language perfectly.

Jennifer smiled. "I'm Jennifer." She said, then repeated her words in Sign Language.

The Muggle girl's eyes widened with surprise. {I'm Casey. Casey Winters.} She signed back excitedly.

"Is this your first time in a Magical area?" Jennifer asked, again signing her spoken words at the same time.

Casey shook her head. {No. I've been to a place in France with Pixies and Gnomes. I saw a Dragon one time, but that was only because my older brother works with them. He's a Wizard, but he didn't find out until about six years ago. That's when I started doing accidental magic too. And you know you don't have to sign back to me, right? I'm not deaf, I just can't talk.} Casey added, smiling.

Jennifer was about to say something when Nyssa poked her head out from under her sleeve and made herself visible again.

*What are you doing?* Jennifer hissed at the serpent, eyes going to Casey. The Muggle girl didn't seem frightened, however. She was staring at Nyssa with curiosity and adoration.

*I wanted to know why you've been talking to yourself.* Nyssa said back. Her eyes found Casey, who was now rapidly signing to Jennifer about how beautiful Nyssa's scales were. *Oops.* The serpent made to go back inside Jennifer's sleeve, but Jennifer stopped her and gently pulled her out into the open.

Jennifer blushed at Casey and held out Nyssa. "This is Nyssa. She's like a sister to me. She's really smart, like us. She has feelings and stuff too." Jennifer was making herself seem like an idiot now, and she knew it. But Casey didn't seem to mind Jennifer's disjointed way of talking.

{She's a sentient Magical creature. Like the Centaurs and the Elves.} Casey replied, smiling.

{That's right. But she's not usually this size. She's supposed to be a lot bigger, but Bastila, sorry, i mean my mom, shrank her down so your family wouldn't get scared.} Jennifer explained, looking over at her parents.

{I love snakes though. And she has such pretty wings.} Casey then held out a hand to Nyssa, and the serpent slithered onto her arm and wrapped around her wrist gently.

*Casey says you're pretty, oh, and that she loves snakes.* Jennifer told Nyssa through a fit of giggles.

*I like her as well. She smells nice, and she seems to be intelligent.* Nyssa answered.

Jennifer relayed to Casey what Nyssa had said, causing the girl to bring Nyssa to eye-level and kiss her on the head.

*Humans...* Nyssa muttered, her voice full of amusement.

* * *

><p>Jennifer and Casey were in Jennifer's room, laying on Jennifer's bed later that day. Jennifer had gotten her wand and school supplies, and Casey's parents had agreed to let Casey spend the rest of the day at Jennifer's house.<p>

Casey was watching Jennifer practice simple spells. And of course Nyssa was there too, (Back to her normal massive size again) making sure nothing went wrong. Casey had revealed to Jennifer that she couldn't do magic, and that she had only gotten her wand so that, someday, if she could get her hearing fixed, she would have her wand ready for use.

"You're still going to Hogwarts even though you can't use a wand?" Jennifer asked, setting her wand on her nightstand, watching Casey, who was staring at Jennifer's wand with wide eyes, as she had been for the past half an hour.

Casey smiled, showing no embarrassment or discomfort. [My parents spoke to the teachers last month and worked it for me. There are still a lot of classes I can go to that I don't need a wand for. History of Magic, Potions, Magical Theory, the Debate Teams.]

Jennifer smiled back, nodding wisely. "There are more classes that DON'T need wands than ones that DO." She agreed. "I'm really happy you're coming to Hogwarts. If anybody makes fun of you or something, they'll have to answer to me, just so you know okay? We're friends now, after all. Friends are always there for each other."

Casey grinned. [That sounds perfect. Friend.]

Jennifer opened her mouth to talk when she was suddenly trapped in a tight hug that Casey had unexpectedly sprung upon her. Jennifer hugged Casey back, smiling happily to herself. Jennifer had the feeling, whether really JUST a feeling, or something deeper and more magical, that she had just made a friend who would be a part of her life forever.

* * *

><p>"Jennifer, get your little butt up!" Daphne called from downstairs.<p>

Jennifer opened her eyes at her mother's calling, but she didn't move. Instead she simply burrowed herself deeper under her blanket, reveling in the softness and warmth of her bed. She always did this. She enjoyed sleeping completely under her blankets, head and all. It was a secret hideout that no one could get inside of, that only she could see the interior of. She even kept her pillow inside the soft fortress, as well as her favorite stuffed animal, a little blue rabbit called Elsa.

"You're going to be late!" Her mother called again.

Jennifer stroked Elsa's fur sleepily. What did she care what she was late for? She was warm, safe and secure. She was in the loveliest place in the world. The only place she ever wanted to be. If she could sleep for the rest of her life, in fact, she would-

"Don't make me come up there and drag you out of bed by your feet! You won't be happy if the Hogwarts Express leaves without you, and you know it Jenn!"

"Hogwarts Express" was the only part of her mother's words that registered for Jennifer. She threw off her blankets and sat up in bed. Jennifer scrambled over to her dresser without even giving her eyes time to adjust to the sudden sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window and began rifling through her clothes.

"I'm up, mom!" Jennifer called downstairs to Daphne even as she was picking out what clothes to wear for the day-long train ride that would take her to Hogwarts. Jennifer would also get to see Casey again for the first time in days. Jennifer was surprised at how much she really missed her new best friend.

Jennifer wasted no time in getting herself ready. She had her teeth brushed, her day clothes on, her Hogwarts trunk filled, and was downstairs waiting in the living room within ten minutes.

Daphne walked into the living room, took in the sight of Jennifer standing beside her trunk, and smiled. "Wow, Jenn. I think that's the fastest you've ever been ready in the morning in your life."

Jennifer smiled in embarrassment back at her mom. "It's Hogwarts. I've never been more excited in my life!" She said, quickly getting past her embarrassment. "I mean, I'll miss my friends from Muggle school since none of them are going to Hogwarts, but I can just make new friends like Casey."

"It's great that you have such a positive outlook on things, have I ever told you that honey?" Daphne told her daughter with another beautiful smile.

Jennifer blushed and looked at the floor, then looked back up at her mother. "You tell me that almost a hundred times a day." She answered her mother with a giggle. "But thanks again."

Daphne laughed too and looked over at the digital clock next to the TV. "Alright you, time to get going." She held out her hand for her daughter to take. Jennifer took her mother's hand and braced herself for the strange sensations of Apparition.

She wasn't disappointed, and when she and her mother appeared in front of the Hogwarts Express, shining bright red and black, the platform teeming with students and parents of all ages, Jennifer felt momentarily sick. But, as she always did after Apparition, she got over it within seconds, and soon she was hurriedly pulling Daphne (and her trunk) through the crowd in an excited search for Casey.

But Jennifer didn't find Casey on the platform, and when the time came to board the train, Jennifer was feeling relieved that now she at least knew Casey had to be on the Hogwarts Express, somewhere in a compartment. Jennifer didn't have time to continue the search for Casey, though. She boarded the train near the back and sat in an empty compartment, setting her trunk on the seat opposite herself. As the train started to move, Jennifer felt a jolt of anxiety, and she pressed her face up to the window to find her mother. It only took a moment, and Jennifer stared unblinkingly at her mother, who was waving and smiling at Jennifer as the train began picking up speed.

The Hogwarts Express moved faster and faster, passing everyone by until it was out of the station, and Jennifer could no longer see her mother. Jennifer sat back in her seat and looked around the empty compartment, a sudden sadness overtaking her. Here she was, leaving one of her mothers behind, and having not yet reached the other. She was stuck between both her parents, without their comfort or praise or guidance. She was also alone.

Jennifer briefly wondered if she should try to approach another compartment and ask another student if she could sit with them, but she threw that idea away almost instantly. She didn't want to seem clingy, and she didn't want to be a bother to anyone else. Now that Jennifer was on her own, she would just have to learn to be confident, self sufficient, and keep her wits about her.

Making a decision, Jennifer opened her trunk and set out all her schoolbooks on the seat, then put her trunk on the floor so that she would have more space to work with. She figured that, with all the time on her hands that she now had, she was going to use it to prepare herself early for her classes. Jennifer threw herself into her reading. As the minutes went by, Jennifer found her thoughts wandering to Casey. She wondered where Casey was, and if she was okay. Reassuring herself that she would start looking for Casey soon, Jennifer turned her focus back to her Potions book.

* * *

><p>Casey knocked softly on a compartment door in the middle of the train, getting the attention of the two boys her own age who were sitting together inside the compartment. One of the boys had black hair, and the other had dirty blond hair.<p>

Casey stood there, and the boys stared at her for a few moments. The black haired boy finally took the initiative. "You can come in, we don't mind if you sit with us." He said cheerfully, indicating the empty seat space next to him, and to either side of the boy who sat across from him.

Casey smiled and opened the door, then slid it shut behind her when she was inside. She looked between the two boys hesitantly, then sat down next to the black haired boy who had greeted her.

* * *

><p>The black haired boy was named Zack Fehre, and the boy with blond hair was Tobias Hawkins. They were best friends, had been their whole lives, and they had recently discovered their magical potential together. Now they were going to Hogwarts, and they had spent the last ten minutes or so since the Hogwarts Express had left the station chatting to each other about the contents of their school books. Among other things.<p>

When the girl had knocked on their door, they had been in the middle of an amusing discussion about which dark creature could beat the other if they ever got into a fight. But then the girl had appeared outside their compartment, and Zack had let her come in and sit down.

Zack felt pleased with himself. He was good at reading people, always had been. Sharp, keen on details and all. And he knew right away that this girl seemed like a very shy, introverted kind of girl. Zack didn't want to scare her off or anything, and he sent his best friend Tobias a warning look. Tobias shrugged and nodded, silently agreeing not to get TOO blunt or rude in his discussions around the girl. Tobias had no tact.

But the girl didn't seem interested in them, Zack noticed. She was staring straight ahead, at the empty space to the left of Tobias. Then she looked out the window.

Zack sighed to himself. 'Guess she doesn't want to talk. She just wanted a place to sit.' He thought dejectedly. Just as he thought that though, the girl suddenly turned her head around to stare right at him. She stared at his face, blinking a few times. Zack fidgeted uncomfortably under her...Almost assessing gaze. Yes, that was it, he decided. The girl was looking at him as if he could be some kind of threat or something. Well, he would make her see he was alright.

"What's your name?" Zack asked, thinking that was a nice, harmless place to start a conversation with the shy girl. She just smiled at him and gave a little shrug. "Uh, okay let's try something else. Have you ever seen a giant before?" The girl was still staring at Zack with that same assessing gaze of hers. Zack just felt confused now.

Just as Zack was wondering what was going on with the girl, Tobias thought it was a good time to open his mouth.

"You gonna talk or just stare at him all day? He's not that cool. Not like me." Tobias said loudly. Then he laughed at his own wit.

"Dude. I don't think she can talk." Zack said quickly to his best friend.

"You mean physically, or what? How do you even know?"

Zack threw a half grin at Tobias. "You forget, my powers of perception are beyond yours. Now..." Zack turned back to the girl. She was staring at her hands in her lap now, and Zack couldn't tell if she was upset because of what Tobias had said, or if she was just doing some thinking of her own. "You are mute, right? I guessed right, didn't I?" Zack asked her with a grin.

She whipped her head up and stared at him. She smiled and nodded.

"Cool." Zack said, reaching a hand up to ruffle his own hair. His grin still didn't fade as he looked at her. "So do you do that hand talking thing? We learned some of it back in normal, I mean, Muggle school but..."

The girl's eyes had gone wide as she listened to Zack, but then they had gone to normal again as he had gone on. She brought her hands up and rapidly signed something, and Zack didn't understand a word of it.

"Huh. Guess that answers that." He said with a laugh.

"I can get a pen and some paper out of my trunk for you if you want." Tobias told the girl quickly, flushing with embarrassment. He wanted to make up for his initial screw up with her.

She nodded enthusiastically, and smiled at Tobias.

Once the girl was armed with her pen and papers, it made communicating MUCH easier between her and the two boys. Thankfully, their talks progressed at a reasonable speed, owing to the fact that the girl, who's name they found out was Casey, could write incredibly fast.

Several times as he watched Casey scribble away, Zack wondered how her hand didn't cramp up, or if it did, and she just didn't care, or notice.

They spent the better part of an hour talking. They talked mostly about magical creatures, but they also touched on history, and their own personal experiences with magic before being accepted to Hogwarts.

The door slid open again as they were talking.

"Casey?" A girl with long dark brown hair stepped into the compartment. The new girl looked at Casey, then stepped over to her and swept her into a hug.

Zack grinned broadly at Casey. "Friend of yours?" He said, nodding his head at the new girl's back. Casey grinned at Zack over the new girl's shoulder. Then the new girl with brown hair released her.

"Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you." The girl said, blushing with embarrassment at Zack and Tobias. "I tried to find Casey on the platform, but she wasn't there so I decided to search for her on the train instead. Sorry." The girl said again, blushing. "I'm Jennifer. Jennifer Phoenix."

Zack had the feeling he should know that name, but he couldn't think of where he should know it from.  
>Tobias, however, did seem to recognize it. "Phoenix? Like Bastila Phoenix? The kid of Voldy what's his name?" He said, staring hard at Jennifer. "The news has been covering them every chance it gets, every time they step out of the house, pretty much. I heard it makes it hard for them to do their jobs. I know they have a kid, the news loves to follow celebrities and their kids, but I-"<p>

"What my friend here is asking is if you really are the granddaughter of that Voldemort guy." Zack said loudly, cutting off Tobias in mid-ramble.

"That's me." Jennifer said, smiling brightly. She sat down next to Casey. "But granddad isn't Voldemort anymore. He's just Tom Riddle now."

"Yeah, I heard all about that too." Tobias said with a short nod. "Heard Tom got a pardon because he helped win that crazy war with Grindelwald, the one that took the secrecy away from the Wizards and Witches that led to where we are today. All peaceful and integrated and whatnot."

Jennifer studied Tobias for a moment, as if wondering if there was any hidden insult in his words. Then she smiled, though to Zack it seemed forced. "That's right. Dumbledore spoke on his behalf himself. What are your names?" She added, changing topics.

"Names Zack, and my insensitive friend here is Tobias." Said Zack casually. Tobias glowered at him, but said nothing.

"Did you guys see anything weird coming onto the train?" Jennifer asked suddenly.

[Weird?] Casey signed quizzically.

Jennifer nodded at her. "There was one compartment that had the curtain pulled down over the window, and the door was locked. But I could kind of see inside because of the sun hitting the curtain, and it looked like there were...Well, plants in there. Vines. And the room was sort of...Glowing."

"Maybe some kid decided to bring his magic garden with him." Tobias said dismissively, shrugging.

"Definitely sounds weird to me, but I don't know what it could be about." Zack said, giving Jennifer a little smile.

[Maybe it's someone who needs to be around plants to live.] Casey suggested.

Jennifer frowned. "Why would you think that?" What Casey said made sense, but at the same time it didn't seem very probable.

"Wait, you can understand her?" Tobias exclaimed, staring at Jennifer as Casey started signing again. Casey gave Tobias a look, then put her hands in her lap.

"Yeah, I can." Jennifer admitted. "I've spent a few summers before now with a friend of my parents, and she was deaf so I had to learn Sign Language really quickly."

"Awesome." Zack commented. "You can translate for us. If Casey doesn't mind." He added, his eyes flickering to Casey. Casey just smiled and nodded her head.

"She says she doesn't mind." Jennifer told Zack.

Zack broke into laughter. "I figured that one out myself, thanks."

Jennifer giggled, and Casey silently shook with laughter of her own.

Tobias stared at them. "You guys are weird." He said. But he was all too obviously trying, and failing, to hide a grin.

"So are you. That's why you picked me to be your best friend in first grade." Zack replied after he had stopped laughing. He looked at Jennifer and Casey and grinned mischievously. "Hey, you two want to hear exactly how Toby became my best buddy?"

"Not this again." Tobias groaned, putting his fingers in his ears. "I hate this story."

"It all started when I was doing some math at my desk..." Zack continued, pointedly ignoring Tobias, his grin growing wider.

"Shut it!" Said Tobias, glaring at Zack.

Jennifer and Casey were laughing at the boys, and the blush that came over Tobias's face made them laugh even more. Leaning forward in his seat, Zack continued his tale in earnest...

Noon came, and the group was very well acquainted with one another. After Zack's story, Casey, Jennifer and Tobias had shared amusing stories of their own. Soon, it had devolved into all of them taking turns making up increasingly wild stories, mostly involving some magical creature of sorts, in an attempt to top each others stories.

"So what did you say about the garden compartment?" Tobias said at noon in-between bites of candy, looking first at Casey, and then at Jennifer. He had bought the candies from an old lady with a trolley who was going up and down the train.

Jennifer looked at Casey for a moment, then looked at Tobias. "She said it could be someone who needs to be around plants to survive. Like a Dryad."

Tobias looked completely confused. "Okay...What's a Dryad?"

"You know all about Dragons, Dementors, Grindelows, and Inferi and you don't know what a freaking Dryad is?" Zack said before Jennifer could explain.

"But Dragons are cool!" Tobias replied.

"Not if you're ever face to face with them." Jennifer said seriously. Casey, thinking of her brother, nodded in agreement of Jennifer's words.

"Your mother fought one in the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Zack countered, grinning slightly.

"I was about to say that." Tobias whined, leaning forward to punch Zack none too gently on the arm.

"Ow, and, I said it first." Zack said simply, rubbing his arm where he had been punched.

"It'd be neat to meet her someday. Both your parents, really." Tobias aimed at Jennifer, his voice full of reverence. "War heroes, ultra rich, and they changed the face of the world as we know it. They're legendary!"

"Ultra rich is sort of an understatement." Jennifer answered, shifting in her seat and looking away from Tobias. "My family is one of the richest in the world right now. Anyways, you'll get to meet one of my moms, because she's actually head of Slytherin House, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"All that money is wasting away though, isn't it?" Zack interjected. "It's just sitting in some bank somewhere? I mean from what the news covers, you live in a little normal old house."

Jennifer laughed out loud. Zack's face showed confusion, and her laughter snapped Tobias out of his revere. "Not true!" She cried. "Don't trust the press, don't talk to the press, and don't expect them to give up. That's what Daphne always says." Daphne had also always expressed how much she wanted to just blast all the reporters into oblivion, but Jennifer didn't tell her friends that part of her mother's advice.

"And anyways, we ARE one of the richest families in the world, but the money isn't being wasted. My parents donate to a lot of charities and programs all the time." Jennifer continued. "And they've changed three of the mansion properties into orphanages, and they fund the staffing and everything. That's not even getting into half of it. The money isn't being wasted. It's helping thousands of people." She concluded firmly.

"Yeah but even with all that, you'd still be able to buy like a hundred private jets." zack persisted. "You could live like a princess in any of those dozens of mansions you still have to your name. Why'd your parents choose to raise you in the suburbs of Las Vegas?"

Jennifer frowned. "My parents just aren't like that. I'm not like that. I have everything I could ever need, and so do they. A two story house is enough. The things we have are more than enough. I mean the pool in the backyard cost a lot, so do the TV's and game consoles..." Jennifer stared at Zack, going quiet for a few moments. "There's no point in being selfish and throwing our fame and money around when what little we have is already more than what most people have."

"This is a fact." Said a new, soft, girl voice.

Everyone in the compartment jumped as the compartment door slid open for the third time that day.

A girl was standing there, looking in to the compartment, staring right at Jennifer.

But that was all Jennifer and the others could figure out, only by her voice. The girl was perhaps a head taller than the tallest of them, Zack. She wore the strangest outfit any of them had ever seen before. The girl was wearing a thin, pure white robe that seemed to have an angelic glow about it, and looked to be a few sizes too big on her, with the hem bunching up on the floor around her feet and the sleeves hanging down completely past her hands.

The cloak was hooded, and the hood was up. All Jennifer, Zack, Tobias, and Casey could see were beautiful, shimmering strands of long white hair that held the same glow as her cloak.

The girl's face was completely hidden. She wore a mask. A rigid, thick mask that was decorated with strange green engravings and painted on symbols that no one recognized. The mask's edges were hidden inside her hood, which, like the rest of the cloak, hung loosely around her head, covering everything. The only part of her natural body that could be seen besides the beautiful white hair hanging out on either side of her hood were her eyes.

The girl's eyes could be seen clearly through two slits cut into the mask. Her eyes were green. A bright, unnatural green. And they didn't look Human in shape, either.

"Who invited you?" Tobias mumbled, being the first to recover. His eyes were glued to the masked girl, despite his rude words.

The masked girl's eyes had still been focused on Jennifer, but now she turned them to Tobias. Then her eyes moved to Zack, Jennifer and Casey. "Greetings. You are first years as well. I apologize for my unexpected intrusion." She looked at Jennifer. "I was passing by and I heard what you were saying regarding your family and your wealth. Your views on such things are admirable."

"I..Thank you." Jennifer said, feeling confused in the face of such a strange girl. The way she spoke was the thing that made Jennifer feel the most perplexed. The masked girl's voice was soft and smooth, devoid of emotion, but the words themselves were...Formal and extravagant.

"I'm Jennifer. And this is Zack, Tobias, and Casey." Jennifer added, pointing them all out for the masked girl.

The girl simply stood there, quiet for a moment as her strange green eyes studied them all. Then she spoke again. "I am pleased to meet all of you." She paused. "May I sit with you? You may refuse, if my being here would be an inconvenience. I interrupted your discussion and entered this compartment without properly introducing myself. I...Still have not done so." She said, halting uncertainly, her voice lowering. "You would cause no offense by objecting to my joining you." She finished quietly, bowing her head, as if submitting herself to them.

Once again, everyone stared at her.

"Uh, don't worry about it, and make yourself at home?" Zack said, gesturing at the space next to the window across from him, where Tobias sat alone. Jennifer looked like she was going to ask Zack and Casey to scoot over for the new girl, but that wouldn't have worked. There just wasn't room with the three of them sitting together on one side of the compartment.

"Ah. Thank you." The masked girl said. She stepped into the compartment and shut the door, and in doing so gave everyone a look at her hand as the sleeve of her cloak fell back. It was ghostly white, and, to their shock, her SKIN was actually what was glowing. It hadn't been the cloak.

"Aha." She proclaimed, taking two steps over to the window and sitting down next to an uncomfortable Tobias.

Jennifer was captivated by the mysterious girl. In those two steps she had taken, the masked girl had seemed like she was gliding. She hadn't made a sound. The girl was elegant and composed in a way that reminded Jennifer of how royalty always behaved. At least, how royalty behaved in the movies Jennifer had seen before.

There was a very long, heavy silence in the compartment.

Zack was the one who broke the silence. "What's your wand like? Oh, yeah, and what's your name?" He asked the masked girl. The girl turned her head away from the window and looked at him.

"And what's with the mask?" Tobias put in. "It looks cool and all, but what's it for?"

The masked girl bowed her head again. "I apologize. I do not mean to be so rude. It is rare that my kind interacts with outsiders, even in recent times. I am called Dinua-Overa-Seelah of the Korshi clan. My wand is made of yew, and the core is a unicorn hair. As for my mask, I wear it so that people cannot see my face. It is...A law that my people have."

"Cool." Zack grinned. "Could you take it off and just not tell anyone?"

Dinua shook her head. "No. Even if I wished to do so, I could not. Nor could anyone else. The mask is magically charmed to be irremovable, and resistant to all attempts to break it, whether magical or physical."

"That's freaky." Tobias said. "How do you eat and stuff then?"

"The mask will adjust to accommodate such a need." Dinua said simply.

Casey perked up just then. She stared at Dinua, who sat across from her, and signed something short.

"You're not Human, are you?" Jennifer translated to Dinua, looking at Casey for confirmation that she had understood right and getting a smile back.

Dinua looked from Jennifer to Casey. "Why do you speak for her?"

"She uses sign language. She can't talk with her voice, but I can understand sign language so I translate for people who don't know sign language." Jennifer explained quickly, nervously.

"I will learn the language." Dinua stated flatly. "I have learned your English without any trouble in recent days, and I will learn sign language just as easily."

"Hey, um, Dinua...Can I just call you Dinua?" Tobias blurted out.

"If that is your desire. I know of the Human custom of nicknames." Dinua replied. "But you would honor me by using my full name. However, I will allow you to shorten my name if it would be easier for you to say."

"Is that a thing with your people too? Really long names?" Zack said with a silly grin.

Dinua stared back at him for a good five seconds. She blinked rapidly. "Yes, it is."

Zack's grin left him. "That was a joke! You're supposed to laugh!"

"Ah. Aha. Hah." Dinua said without any trace of mirth.

Zack wasn't deterred. His face lit up in a smile. "Okay...Oh, why did the chicken cross the road?"

Tobias immediately started protesting. Jennifer looked about to giggle, and Casey put her hands over her ears.

Dinua quickly blinked again. "I have never considered the question."

"To get to the other side!" Zack cried after a dramatic pause.

Dinua looked thoughtful, then she nodded. "The logic is acceptable. But I do not understand why that is considered funny."

Zack looked at her in shock, as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "It just is! That's what humor is all about!"

"Ah, that explains it." Said Dinua.

Zack wasn't sure if she was trying to make a joke of her own, or if she was just stating a fact. He slumped down sullenly in his seat. "This is going to be a really long trip."

Dinua tilted her head. "I did not mean to offend you."

"Just leave him be. He'll get over it. Trust me, I offend him all the time." Tobias told her, snickering to himself. "He just gets upset when people don't get his jokes."

"He must lead a very sad life." Answered Dinua. Again, no one knew if she was trying to joke or not. Jennifer personally suspected she was just taking things literally, seriously.

"My life would be sad even without people not getting my jokes." Zack said, his face darkening as, for the first time, he was entirely serious.

"This is a fact?" Dinua said, her voice soft.

Jennifer imagined she could hear a ghost of concern in Dinua's voice. Then, in the next instant, she wondered if it HADN'T been just her imagination.

Zack looked at Dinua in surprise. He smiled and sat up straight again.

"Yeah. That's a fact." He said.


	2. Everything Old is New Again

Beyond The Veil is the first book in the sequel series to Heir to The Dark Lord! So read it, review it, and all that! :)

End of Authors Note!

* * *

><p>Night had fallen when the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into the station in Hogsmeade. All the began students filing out of the train onto the platform, having changed into school robes and uniforms. Except one group of students. Jennifer, Casey, Zack, Tobias, and Dinua were in complete disarray.<p>

"Girls, get out of here so we can get changed!" Tobias said frantically.

Jennifer gave him an angry look. "YOU get out! All you have to do is slip on your shoes and robes. Casey and Dinua and I are the ones who ACTUALLY have to change clothes!" She paused. "Oh no, I left my trunk and everything else in my own compartment at the back of the train!" She dashed out of the compartment, ignoring Zack, who called after her.

[I left my things in MY compartment too.] Casey signed worriedly, having not risen from her seat in the compartment.

[I will go with you to get your trunk. Mine is not in this compartment either.] Dinua signed back.

Casey gave her a smile. She jumped to her feet and led Dinua quickly from the compartment. Both girls also ignored Zack's protests that they should all stick together.

"Looks like it's just me and you again, old buddy." Zack told Tobias.

Tobias was staring out the compartment door after the girls. Then he shook his head. "Guess so. Help me get my trunk down and I'll help you with yours." He said quickly, standing up on his seat to reach the storage space overhead.

"Why can't you help me with mine first?" Zack said, still sitting casually in his seat.

Tobias glared. "This isn't the time to play this game with me! If we get left on the train, we'll be back in London by the time anyone knows what's going on!"

Zack just grinned. "Better help me with mine first, then. London's a harsh place at night, I hear."

Tobias stepped off his seat back onto the floor. "I hate you." He muttered, climbing up to help Zack with his trunk.

* * *

><p>Jennifer ran full out to the back of the train, cursing herself for picking a compartment in the very last train cart, her brown hair fluttering behind her. She was NOT going to get left on the train! She'd be a laughing stock, the punchline of a new tidal wave of school jokes told in secret in the dormitories at night!<p>

That was definitely not how she wanted to start out her first of many years at Hogwarts.

Jennifer reached her compartment in time, thankfully. The train was still silent and motionless as she was tossing her books back into her trunk without any thought about organization.

She yanked her Hogwarts uniform out from under all the books she had just thrown into her trunk and hurriedly changed clothes. She slammed her trunk shut and dragged it out into the hall. She saw Dinua and Casey down the train, and she waved before realizing their backs were to her. They must have gotten their trunks too, she thought. Jennifer sighed to herself and decided to just haul her trunk out the nearest exit in her compartment. When she was out on the platform she saw that all the students, and the long-time gameskeeper, Hagrid, were milling around near the front of the train.

"Can't I catch a break?" Jennifer muttered to herself. Then she began the long walk along the outside of the train.

It seemed like forever before Jennifer was reunited with the other students, and by the time she was, they were already beginning to follow Hagrid down to the lake, where they would be crossing the water to Hogwarts. Jennifer was extremely irritated and tired at this point, barely paying attention to anything around her. It was only when they reached the shore and the students began boarding all the boats that Jennifer paused and realized that something was very wrong.

None of them had their trunks with them.

Which meant that either Jennifer had been the only one to remember her trunk, or that THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BRING THEM.

Jennifer stood there on the shore, feeling her heart fall. A lump was forming in her throat now. An all too familiar lump that usually preceeded her crying. She couldn't help herself. She had tried so hard to do everything just right on the train, to not make a fool of herself in any way, in front of anyone, and here she had done it anyways, and in an even worse way than she could ever have imagined.

And she had done it in front of every student in her year.

She couldn't just go back and put her trunk on the train and come racing back. She would be stranded in Hogsmeade, then. Her eyes were filling up with tears now as the other students, her friends, and Hagrid, took notice of her.

"Yeh all right there? Yeh didn' get lost did yeh?" Asked Hagrid as he came to a lumbering stop in front of her. "Why've yeh got yer trunk with yeh? Didn' anybody tell yeh you were s'pose ter leave it on the train?"

Jennifer shook her head fiercly. "N-No...No one told me, and..My friends were getting theirs too! I saw them..Why didn't anyone..." Her eyes found the glowing form of Dinua. She didn't have her trunk with her, like Jennifer had sworn she had seen on the train. Why else would Dinua have been wandering the train with Casey instead of out on the platform?

A small part of Jennifer wondered why Dinua was still wearing that hooded robe of hers rather than a Hogwarts uniform, but Jennifer didn't pay any attention to it.

Because Jennifer was crying in full now, blubbering like an idiot. In front of everyone. But she didn't care about that either. She was past the point of caring now.

"Thar thar, it's not teh end of the world. We'll jus' put it in yer boat with yeh and get goin'." Hagrid said, patting a massive hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"Yes it is!" Jennifer cried. "I..I tried SO HARD not to look like an IDIOT, and I messed up so badly anyways..."

"Yer alright. Yer not the first student ter do this, an' others have done things that would seem a lot worse to yeh if I told yer." Hagrid said, smiling down at her.

"Really?" Jennifer looked up finally. "I'm not the only one...Who's...Made a fool of themselves?"

"Course yer not!" Hagrid said, laughing heartily. "Now, let's get yeh and yer trunk into a boat, eh?"

Jennifer couldn't help but smile at Hagrid, and she gave a shaky laugh of her own. As Hagrid took her trunk over to a boat and set it into the boat, and Jennifer had sat down with it, she felt a little better.

The more she thought about it, in fact, the better she began to feel. It really WASN'T the end of the world. Other students had done the same thing, and worse, according to Hagrid. It didn't have to be so bad. It couldn't be, if other students had dealt with it and gotten past it.

Jennifer would just have to deal with it, too. Jennifer's mood was also improved by Zack, Dinua, and Casey joining her in the boat. (Tobias had been forced to get into a boat with three girls he didn't know, and all of them were physically identical, much to Tobias's shock.)

Half-way across the lake, Jennifer felt back to normal again, and she started up a discussion with Casey, Zack and Dinua about Quidditch, and the other special activities they could sign up for. Zack seemed especially excited about Quidditch, since the rules had been changed a few years ago so that now first years were able to try out for the teams. Somehow, Zack's excitement hadn't surprised Jennifer in the least.

She imagined that Zack would love his hair getting all messed up and windswept, and she had even told him so, making him laugh so hard that he had almost fallen out of the boat.

Dinua had expressed no interest in Quidditch, but she HAD expressed an EXTREME interest in the dueling club, something that surprised everyone in the boat. Then Zack had said what they were all thinking, but far more bluntly, Jennifer had thought.

"You look pretty scary and bad ass. I bet you'll have your opponents throwing in the towel before you even cast a spell!" Zack had exclaimed, clapping Dinua on the back affectionately.

Dinua had seemed startled at the physical contact, but then she had relaxed. "I hope that will not be so. A warrior's worth is judged by the strength of her opponents." She had replied, her voice holding a great deal of amusement, a stark contrast to her usual blank tones.

Casey, meanwhile, had seemed excited about the Magical Arts and Crafts class. Making moving pictures, self aware portraits, and living statues, among other things. Dinua had been particularly fierce in supporting Casey's desire to take the class, but that might have just been because Zack had seemed bored in the face of Casey's enthusiasm, and Dinua had possibly taken it as a slight against Casey.

And Jennifer, Jennifer didn't know WHAT she wanted to do for her extra curricular activity. She wanted to do Quidditch, she wanted to try the dueling club, and she even had the more creative side of herself leaning towards the Magical Arts class with Casey. Jennifer knew she COULD sign up for all of them, but she doubted she'd be able to commit to all of them, especially on top of her regular classes and schoolwork she would have to do.

Jennifer would have to pick one. And the one she was most in favor of picking was Quidditch with Zack.

"If we end up in different Houses we'll have to compete against each other on the pitch." Zack had quickly pointed out. Then he had given Jennifer his familiar cheery grin and added, "But don't worry about that, I'll go easy on you. It wouldn't be fair of me to take all the glory."

Jennifer had been about to respond to that when the castle had suddenly come into view. It was bigger than she had ever imagined from all her parents' stories. It was magnificent and beautiful, lighting up the night around it like a flame in a dark room.

Jennifer felt a sudden sense of...Belonging, surge up within herself. Belonging, as well as joy and awe. This was where she was meant to be. This was where everything would start for her. She didn't really know what "Everything" meant, but she couldn't wait to find out.

By the time they were all out of the boats and gathered in the entrance hall, (Hagrid had set Jennifer's trunk with the others in the entrance hall before leaving) Jennifer had completely forgotten about her cry-fest on the other side of the lake.

Until a boy got in her face and reminded her of it.

"I saw you out there before we got on the boats. Heard you, too." The boy said nastily. "Crying like a little baby. You know how stupid you looked?"

Jennifer didn't answer. She turned her head and stared to the right, focusing hard on Dinua's ornate mask.

"Hey, are you deaf or something? What's your name?" The boy asked.

Jennifer felt anger and sadness bubble up inside at the same time. But she couldn't give in to her anger and do what she SO badly wanted to do to the boy for humiliating her, for bullying her. Jennifer couldn't do it. She would get into trouble before school even started, she would lose House points, whichever House she would be sorted into. Or worse, she'd get a detention. Or several.

And her mother would most likely have a talk with her, and-

Jennifer snapped out of her thoughts. She was laying on the hard stone floor, feeling hurt in several places. Jennifer felt confusion as she looked around herself. Had she fallen unconcious? Had she FAINTED, and made herself seem even more of a fool than she already had?

"You really ARE retarded!" The boy jeered. "Come on, what's your name? Probably something stupid, like Sally, or Alex."

Jennifer's eyes snapped up to focus on his face. She felt a coldness descend upon her. A blanket of clarity within her mind. She registered the boy, standing over her, and the feeling of impact on her chest.

Jennifer hadn't fainted.

She had been pushed.

Hard.

Jennifer calmly got to her feet, staring at the boy the entire time. She would NOT cry again, and NOT because of this bully.

"I SAID, what's your name, retard?" The boy repeated. He stepped forward, pushing his hands out to shove her again.

Jennifer raised her hands and stepped back, and ended up tripping and falling over again.

Jennifer was sitting there, wondering what to do about the cruel, sneering boy standing over her when-

A glowing, smooth foot hit the boy in the ribs, sending him stumbling to the side.

Dinua rushed at the boy and grabbed his robes, balling the cloth up in her fists. She kept running, driving the boy back until she had slammed him into the wall.

Dinua held him there. The boy struggled, but he couldn't get free of her grasp. She pushed her masked face right up in the boy's face.

"Let go of me, let go you crazy freak!" The boy screeched.

Dinua ignored his demands. Her hand shot up like lightning and slapped the boy across the face. He was instantly quiet. "You dare to mock my friend, you dare to humiliate her in front of everyone here, you dare to assault her, to push her down, and you have the audacity to continue to verbally batter her, and THEN you attempt to push her A SECOND TIME?" Dinua's voice was a low hiss, but everyone could hear her words clearly, as well as the pure venom in her voice.

"You call yourself a Human being, with all the moral superiority and weight you presume your species carries." Dinua hissed in a tone of disgust. "YOU are the reason my kind still doesn't venture out into the larger world, YOU are the reason your own kind doesn't like to venture out into the world. You're the kind of gutless worm my people would love to put a permenant end to. The kind of worm that, were I not a student here, and were you not an ignorant child, I would've personally identified and put an end to BEFORE you assaulted my friend."

The boy was completely quiet now. His face was drained of all color. He was terrified.

Everyone else was silent. Unmoving. No one wanted to intervene.

"I'll let you live and learn, and you WILL learn." Dinua paused, let go of the boy's robes and stepped back. "You will learn not to be the vile little child you are now, because if I meet you again and you are a vile MAN doing to someone what you have done here tonight, I won't hesitate to end you."

Dinua walked back over to Jennifer and helped her to her feet, then stood beside her, exactly where she had been before, and resumed staring at the giant closed doors of the great hall as if nothing had happened.

The boy stood where he had been left, his face quivering, and then he broke into whimpers and sobs.

"I believe they are almost ready for us now." Dinua said to Jennifer in her normal, blank voice.

"I don't hear anything." Jennifer said, shaking her head. Jennifer was trying hard to ignore the crying boy. She felt extremely guilty and nervous. She was definitely sure her mother would give her a talking to now the first chance she could get time alone with Jennifer.

Zack and Tobias were staring at Dinua with newfound respect and awe. Zack was grinning full on, and Tobias was snickering and stealing quick looks at the sobbing boy every so often.

Until Dinua spoke to them. "There is no shame in admiring my display of my combat skills, nor in approving of my defense of a friend. But an enemy beat is an enemy beat. Gloating and revelling in the face of a fallen enemy are not honorable or respected actions." She finished quietly, her green eyes boring into the two boys.

Both the boys' faces turned completely serious and blank in an instant.

"I was admiring your combat skills, because that was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life." Zack said seriously. "HE was getting a kick out of the fallen enemy." Zack jerked a thumb at Tobias, who was looking suitably chastised.

Dinua turned her gaze soley on Tobias. "I believe you understand what I have just explained?"

Tobias nodded, gulping and looking at the boy who had bullied Jennifer. The boy had stopped crying, and now he was making his way very slowly to the back of the crowd, with his eyes glued to Dinua.

Casey tapped Dinua on the arm to get her attention, then started signing very quickly. Dinua stared at Casey for a long time, and Casey stepped back a few steps. Dinua's bright green eyes went dim for a moment, looking like normal eyes until they flickered and resumed their usual glow.

"I would never harm you. There is no need to be afraid of me." Dinua said softly. She took Casey's hand and held it in her own. "I promise you this, Casey, my friend: I will never hurt you of my own free will." Dinua paused and let go of Casey's hand, then she bowed her head. "And I'm sorry that you had to see such violence. I know it is difficult when one is not used to seeing it."

Casey pale faced and shaking, stepped forward and carefully hugged Dinua. [I believe you.] She signed behind Dinua's back.

Jennifer was sure she was the only one to see it, or at least the only one to understand it. She smiled too, watching the two friends embrace.

The doors to the great hall suddenly swung open, and everyone stepped back to avoid being hit by the massive double doors.

A strikingly beautiful woman with long black hair and dark brown eyes swept into the entrance hall. She was wearing a long, blue strapless dress. Her face was soft and kind, and her lips held a warm smile. A wand holster was strapped to her forearm, the wand tip just above her wrist.

Jennifer's smile grew wider. "Hi mom." She said happily, waving a hand.

Bastila looked at her daughter and fluttered her fingers in a little answering wave. Then she moved her gaze to encompass ALL the first years.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Bastila began in a kind voice. "I understand that many of you are probably feeling nervous, or even afraid, but you don't have anything to worry about. The only thing that will happen when you enter the great hall behind me is that there will be an all you can eat feast, and a magic hat will be placed on your head to decide what House you belong in. If anyone told you that you'd have to fight a troll or preform some kind of magic, they were pulling your leg."

She paused, seeing relief on the faces of several students, then continued.

"Speaking of Houses, there are four of them. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now, while you're at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You'll sleep in the same dormitories together, attend most of the same classes together, and earn, as well as lose, House points together."

Another pause.

"Which I guarentee every single one of you is bound to do at some point or another, so don't feel too bad about it when it happens."

That got genuine laughter from most of the students.

Bastila let the ripple of laughter run its course before she began speaking again. "So, rule breaking will lose points. Answering questions right in class, or doing a good thing for a friend," Bastila's eyes flickered to Dinua "Will earn you points. So, what's the point of earning points? Well, the point is to have the most House points at the end of the year than any of the other Houses, so you can win the House cup, which is a VERY expensive trophy. But I urge you all not to take this too seriously. It's just friendly competition."

Bastila cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder at the older students already sitting in the great hall. She looked at the staff table and nodded at Headmistress McGonagall, who nodded back. "Alright, it looks like it's time to head on in. Just follow me up to the steps there at the other end of the hall and wait for your name to be called, then go sit on the stool and we'll put the hat on your head. Simple, right?"

Several students nodded, and Bastila's beautiful smile returned in full. "Then we're ready to go." She turned on the spot with a perfect spin, as graceful as a dancer, and led the way into the great hall.

As Bastila led the first years through the great hall, past all the tables where older students sat talking and waiting, Jennifer glanced at four giant hourglasses full of little gemstones of a different color. Each hourglass had a different color themselves that matched the gemstones, and there were little number counters at the bottom, along with the House names attached to the hourglasses by little plaques.

'So those are what are going to keep track of our points.' Jennifer thought. She noticed several students looking at the ceiling, so Jennifer did the same and tilted her head back to look up.

Jennifer was amazed at what she saw. It was the starry night sky, as clear and bright as it had been outside. But she KNEW this massive room had a roof. She had seen it when she had been looking at the castle on the boat ride. The smile on her face seemed to be wanting to stay permenantly etched on her lips. I love magic, Jennifer thought happily.

Jennifer looked at Casey, and saw her mouth was hanging wide open as she was trying to look everywhere at once. But Casey's eyes always ended up going back to the bewitched ceiling. Jennifer looked at Zack. He caught her eye and gave her a grin.

"Not a bad place." He said with a shrug. But Jennifer could tell by his eyes and the tone of his voice that he was clearly impresed.

Tobias was smiling as he looked around, but all he said in the face of Jennifer's questioning gaze was, "I've seen better."

"This is a very impressive feat of magic. I'm glad I am going to be taught here." Said Dinua. Her eyes were significantly brighter than usual, and her voice was notably pleasant, rather than bored or flat as it usually was.

They reached the front of the hall, and Bastila turned around to face the first years with her smile still on her face. She stood there for a moment, then turned toward the staff table and pointed a finger at a long scroll laying on the table in front of an empty seat. The scroll flew into her waiting hand, much to the amazement of the first years. "I knew I forgot something..." She muttered to herself as she unfurled the scroll and looked back at the students.

Bastila cleared her throat, and called out the first name. It wasn't who Jennifer would have expected. "Dinua-Overa-Seelah of the Korshi clan."

Dinua didn't hesitate. She didn't even look at anyone. She just stepped forward, went up the two little stair steps and sat on the stool. As soon as she had sat down, gossip and whispers broke out among the tables like wildfire at the sight of her mask.

As was typical of Dinua, as Jennifer was beginning to learn, Dinua confronted the gossopers head on.

"The reasons for my mask are my own." She paused. "But rest assured, you, you, you, you, you, and you," She continued, pointing to several students at each table, "That my face has not been horribly disfigured in an accident, that my face has not been horribly disfigured in a duel with a dark wizard, that my face has not been horribly disfigured because of abusive parents, that my face has been horribly disfigured because of an attack by a wild animal, that my face has not been horribly disfigured by falling into a volcano, and that my face has not been horribly disfigured because I was born with a birth defect."

All the students she had pointed to were now blushing and looking away.

The great hall was silent.

Dinua turned to Bastila. "You may remove my hood." She said quietly.

Bastila gave her a serious nod and reached out a hand. Slowly, she pulled back Dinua's hood with great care.

Several people gasped, and Jennifer wasn't so sure she hadn't been one of them.

Dinua's pure white, shining hair fell out around her. It draped down on both sides of her head, down her front, all the way to her belly. The rest of her hair was around her shoulders and arms, covering her upper body seamlessly, like a blanket.

The hair behind Dinua, Jennifer assumed, had to be much the same as the hair she could see.

Very long, very beautiful, and very straight.

The whispers began anew. Most of it seemed to be coming from jealous females and dumbstruck males.

Headmistress McGonagall raised a hand and shot the students a stern look, making the great hall turn to silence once more.

Bastila placed the sorting hat on Dinua's head and stepped back.

Jennifer and her friends, Dinua's friends, as well as everyone else in the great hall, held their breath in anticipation.

Suddenly the hat's brim ripped wide open, and it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Dinua didn't move from the stool. She sat there for a minute or two, picking her hair up and putting it back into her robes before pulling up her hood again, then she walked gracefully over to the Gryffindor table and sat down at the end of the table.

On and on the names went after that. It dragged on forever. Some of the family names Jennifer recognized from her mothers' stories. Names like "Granger, Rose" who ended up in Ravenclaw, and "Potter, James" who went to Gryffindor, and even a surprising "Malfoy, Bane" who was put in Slytherin. Jennifer's mother had paused very noticably when she had seen the name "Malfoy", and her voice had changed pitch when she read it aloud.

Jennifer knew why. Draco Malfoy, close friend and the first person Bastila had met at Hogwarts, had been killed on the day the war with Grindelwald had started. Grindelwald himself had been the one who murdered Draco. Jennifer was confused by the Malfoy name, but then she figured that Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy had probably just had another child after the loss of Draco, and put it out of her mind.

But beyond the famous family names, Jennifer payed special attention only when her friends' names were called. Zack had been sorted into Slytherin. And Tobias had gone to Ravenclaw, much to Jennifer's surprise.

Apparently, it hadn't surprised Zack.

"I always knew you were smarter than you looked, Toby! All those years of you helping me with my homework finally payed off!" Zack had shouted from the Slytherin table upon his friends' sorting, earning him a harsh glare from McGonagall.

Then it was Jennifer's turn. "Phoenix, Jennifer!" Her mother had said.

Despite how easy it really was to be sorted, despite anything Jennifer had told herself before now about not letting things get to her and about how she would enjoy Hogwarts as best she could, Jennifer felt incredibly nervous all of a sudden. She fidgeted with her hands as she walked up and sat on the stool, and she sighed in relief at the fact that she hadn't tripped on the way up the steps. Her mother put the sorting hat on her head, and Jennifer closed her eyes.

Being in front of all the other students was definitely an uncomfortable experience, Jennifer thought behind the darkness of her eyelids.

She waited. And then she felt it. Something touching her mind. A presence.

The sorting hat.

'Ahhh, another Phoenix, or should I say Riddle?' The sorting hat whispered in her head. 'But where to put you...'

'You COULD put me in Gryffindor.' Jennifer replied.

'Hmmm. Gryffindor, and not Slytherin, the House of your parents, your grandfather, and generations past?' The sorting hat seemed curious. 'Why would you want me to put you in Gryffindor? There isn't any shame in Slytherin, you know. Your parents proved that long ago, and removed the dark stain Slytherin House carried.'

'I know, I know. I just...Dinua is in Gryffindor, Zack is in Slytherin...I just have a feeling that I should stick close to Dinua. I can't explain it. It's like...Something inside me. It's magic, but I don't know...' Jennifer shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. 'Zack is looking forward to competing against me in Quidditch. It would make him really happy, I know it would. And he's my friend.'

'Hmmm. Like Bastila before you, you show several strong House traits at the same time. Cunning, loyalty to your friends...' The sorting hat murmured. 'Your mother was extremely difficult to place, and in the end it was she who decided where she was to go. Very well then. The choice is yours, young Phoenix.'

'Gryffindor.' Jennifer said without hesitation. 'And don't you dare double cross me and just say Slytherin anyways or I'll come back later and cut you to pieces and turn you into a hankerchef.'

The sorting hat was quiet for a few seconds. 'Are you SURE you won't consider Slytherin? Oh, alright! I can sense that you're sure. So I'll just say to you now that I wish you the best of luck in...GRYFFINDOR!'

The last word was shouted for all the great hall to hear.

Her mother took the hat out off her head, and Jennifer hopped off the stool, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Jennifer made her way over to the Gryffindor table admist clapping and cheering, and sat down next to Dinua.

"Congratulations. My friend, Jennifer." Dinua said quietly, turning very bright green eyes on Jennifer. "I believe I would have felt quite lonely without any of my friends in the same House as me."

"Thanks. But I didn't JUST do it for you. Just mostly." Jennifer said, smiling softly. "I did it for Zane, too. He would've been all broken up about it if we weren't able to play against each other on the Quidditch pitch."

"If 'Broken up' is another way to say 'Upset', then yes, I also believe he would have been broken up about it.'

Jennifer's smile turned into a grin. "This is a fact." She said, repeating Dinua's odd phrase.

Dinua blinked, and her voice held amusement when she said, "Indeed it is."

Jennifer and Dinua waited and clapped as more names were called.

It went on until Casey, a girl with jet black hair, and three other girls were the only first years left. The three girls were the identical triplets, the sisters from the boats. The triplets were called out as, "Sage, Naren" "Sage, Idith" and "Sage, Endless".

All three of the girls were sorted into Gryffindor.

The girl with short black hair was called out as "Snape, Olivia."

Jennifer smiled at the name. Despite the fact that Olivia Snape was the same age as Jennifer, Olivia, being the biological daughter of Severus Snape and therefore a younger sister to Bastila, was Jennifer's aunt. Olivia hated it when Jennifer called her aunty at their familiy visits. Sometimes Jennifer did it just to tick her off, and other times it just slipped out.

Unsurprisingly, Olivia was sorted into Slytherin.

Finally Bastila said the last name that Jennifer had personally been waiting to hear, and the name of the last first year yet to be sorted.

"Winters, Casey!"

Jennifer watched attentively as Casey sat on the stool and had the sorting hat put on her. Jennifer didn't know which House Casey would get put in, but she hoped it would be either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Dinua was right, Jennifer thought. It really would be horrible to be in a House without anybody you knew.

"Slytherin!"

Jennifer started in her seat. She HAD to have heard wrong. When had Casey, sweet, shy, gentle Casey EVER shown ANY Slytherin qualities?

The sorting hat had to have sent Casey to the wrong House, Jennifer thought, feeling horribly upset.

But then, maybe it wouldn't be all too bad. Casey would have Zack, and Casey seemed the most taken with him out of anyone in their little group of friends.

Still, Jennifer didn't like how this had turned out. They were all spread out. With herself and Dinua in Gryffindor, Zack and Casey in Slytherin, and Tobias alone in Ravenclaw, they would hardly get any classes together, and that meant they'd barely see each other!

This was bad, this was really bad.

Maybe Jennifer could get herself re-sorted and switch to Slytherin. But then that would leave Dinua alone in Gryffindor. What if Dinua could switch to Slytherin, too? Would she even want to?

As these thoughts raced through Jennifer's head, Headmistress McGonagall had started speaking to the students about things Jennifer didn't much care about at the moment like banned items and rules like "No magic in the corridors" and "No wandering the castle at night".

Jennifer was STILL worrying herself to death over the sorting when the feast began, the food having magically appeared out of nowhere on the House tables.

Everything had gone wrong, so very wrong for Jennifer and her friends-

"Is the food not to your liking?"

"What? Oh." Jennifer sighed and put her chin down on the table. "The food looks great, I'm just not very hungry." She said, answering Dinua.

"Ah. Perhaps you will feel ready to eat in a few more minutes, then." Dinua said, trying to be comforting in her own odd way.

"Not likely..." Jennifer muttered.

"To not eat would be unwise." Dinua persisted after a slight hesitation.

"That's what Humans do. We do unwise stuff all the time. You'll have to get used to it if you're going to be around us for the next seven years." Jennifer said flippantly.

"This, I am quickly learning," Dinua said. "Is a fact."

After a few minutes of silence, Jennifer lifted her head again. "What are you, anyways?" She asked, staring at Dinua's hair that could be seen under her hood. "Back in the great hall you kind of talked about your people not liking or talking to outsiders and stuff."

"Wood Elf." Dinua answered shortly. Then she piled grapes, apples, and oranges onto an empty plate and began to carefully cut them into perfect identically sized slices with a knife.

"Oh! You're the ones that live in those villages out in the forests and have...Earth magic, I guess. You heal plants and control vines and things like that." Jennifer said excitedly.

Dinua froze in the act of cutting an apple. She gave Jennifer an odd look, eyelids half closed. "Your description of my people is inaccurate, but it contains some measure of truth, so I will choose not to be offended."

Jennifer frowned. "I'm sorry."

Dinua resumed cutting into her apple. "Do not be. Humans and Wood Elves have rarely had meaningful and lengthy contact with each other. There are bound to be misconceptions between our species. This is one of the reasons I chose to be the first of my kind to attend Hogwarts."

"So what part of what I said is true, and what part of it was just stereotyping?" Jennifer replied, picking out a handful of grapes for herself. Talking to Dinua was making her feel better, even though Jennifer hadn't wanted to talk to Dinua barely a minute ago. The Elf had a strange effect on Jennifer, and Jennifer wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"We live in villages, and we build high walls around each village. Sometimes several villages will be inside these walls." Dinua began, speaking quietly. "It is true that we have a great respect for the beauty and complexity of nature, and we do attempt to leave it as indisturbed as possible, but that is as far as it goes. We often live in forests, but they are not the only environments we choose to build our villages in. As for our natural magical abilities, they do allow us to see in the dark of night, and to sense and manipulate the natural world around us to a certain extent, however, we are in no way complete masters of the Earth."

Jennifer chewed on a grape, staring at Dinua thoughtfully. "What do you need to build big walls for? Is it to keep people out, or to keep people in?"

"Both." Said Dinua. "No Elf except for the warriors and scavengers in a clan are knowledgable and skilled enough to survive long periods of time outside the walls. It is for their own safety that they are kept inside the walls. The walls are also meant to keep dangerous magical creatures from attacking our villages."

"What kind of creatures? Like, Dragons and Dementors?" Asked Jennifer, surprised.

Dinua shook her head. "We are not often visited by those darkest of dark creatures, though it has happened before. No, the walls are primarily built to keep out the Giants."

"Giants? But I thought they were-"

"What?" Dinua interrupted. "Did you think that Giants are big, harmless unintelligent creatures, comparable to children? That they are humorous, bumbling things? No. Giants have their Cheiftains, their homes and structures, their organization in combat situations." Dinua paused, and the traces of anger in her voice were gone when she next spoke. "Just as you have your misconceptions about Elves, you have them about Giants. Giants are a brutal, cruel people. They kill and eat us, and only rarely are they ever truly hungry." Dinua brought a piece of apple to where her mouth would be, and the bottom of her mask seemed to melt away, revealing her chin, lips and part of her cheeks.

Jennifer watched her eat for a few moments.

The longer the silence grew between them, the more Jennifer thought that she shouldn't try and start the conversation again. Jennifer dumped her grapes onto a plate and put her head in her hands.

All of a sudden, she didn't feel like eating again.


	3. Trials of Friendship

Beyond The Veil is the first book in the sequel series to Heir to The Dark Lord! So read it, review it, and all that! :)

End of Authors Note!

* * *

><p>"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning, iiittttt's moooooorning!" The familiar voice of Jennifer was singing.<p>

Dinua-Overa-Seelah opened her eyes and sat up in her four poster bed. "Ah. Good morning."

"Good morning Dinua O'Very Silly!" Jennifer sang, rushing past Dinua and opening a window in the Gryffindor tower dormitory room.

Dinua felt the comforting rays of sunlight wash over her, and she smiled behind her mask as she got out of bed. But she felt worried for Jennifer. Her Human friend seemed to have lost her mind overnight.

"Are you feeling well?" Dinua asked, staring at Jennifer, who was now rummaging through Dinua's own trunk and picking out books.

"Are you kidding me? Oh wait, you don't do jokes. Nevermind! I'm feeling awesome, thanks for asking! Can you believe we're at Hogwarts? Right now, we're in Gryffindor tower and we're almost ready to start the day and begin learning all about magic!" Jennifer said all of this very quickly, not even looking at Dinua.

Dinua felt only confusion at her friend's erratic behavior. She fluttered her eyes as she stepped closer to Jennifer.

Were all Humans like this in the morning, or was it simply unique to Jennifer? Thought Dinua. In truth, she did not know which of the two possibilities would be better.

"Ah, Jennifer, my friend, why are you stealing my schoolbooks?"

Jennifer froze, then turned to stare at her.

Dinua blinked again, feeling uncertainty rush through her. She had thought it would be a perfectly normal question to ask. Had she offended Jennifer in some way? Had she missed some Human custom or social-

Jennifer was laughing.

"Dinua, I'm not STEALING your books! I was just..." She paused. "I just thought I'd be nice and get all your books out for you, so you'd have an easier time getting ready for the day."

"I see." Dinua was surprised at Jennifer's words. It was a very thoughtful and kind thing to do. She wondered if she should put her hand on Jennifer's shoulder, or give her a hug, or any of the other hundreds of physical signs of affection that Human friends shared between each other. Dinua thought better of it after a moment, and simply stood and continued watching Jennifer.

It wouldn't do for Dinua to choose to initiate physical contact, to risk picking wrongly, and end up hurting or offending one of her very first human friends. She had already taken such a risk the night before, when she had reassured her other friend, Casey, and had made an Elven vow of no harm.  
>Of course, the physical contact had been Elven, rather than Human, and was required for the vow. And Casey had not seemed to mind it.<p>

Had that been Casey's own sense of comfort with physical contact, or was holding hands simply a more accepted gesture of friendship than anything else?

Dinua felt a trace of frustration as she thought these things, but she did her best to ignore the feeling. Being thrust into a school run by, and full of, an entirely different species of people, was bound to be a learning experience. It would take Dinua time, time and effort and PATIENCE, to be successfully accepted by Humans.

And Dinua had already had an idea of what she would be getting into before she had chosen to be the one to embark on this quest. She had known it would take years, she had known it would require patience, she had known it would be difficult being the only one of her kind among Humans, and she had known she would most likely fail to master the secrets of Wand-Magic.

But Dinua would try with everything she had, regardless. She was a warrior, and warriors did not accept challenges only to back out once they truly saw the full scope of things. Warriors charged into the thick of things and made the best of them.

Warriors charged in.

Dinua stepped closer to Jennifer and gathered her books in her arms. Then she laid a hand on Jennifer's shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. This was very wonderful of you to do for me, and I will repay your kindness in full." Dinua said, willing her voice to sound grateful.

Jennifer blushed a deeper shade of pink than she had before, and Dinua thought for a heartbeat that she had done something wrong. Then-

"You're welcome. But you don't have to do anything back!" Jennifer said, her face lighting up with joy. Her face held a great smile as she looked back at Dinua. "It's what friends do. We do nice things for each other without expecting anything in return. And Bastila always say that unexpected acts of kindness are the best kinds of kindness."

Unexpected acts of kindness. Dinua mused as she and Jennifer left Gryffindor tower in search of the great hall, where breakfast awaited.

Yes, Humans seemed to be full of unexpected kindness.

Perhaps Dinua's quest would not prove futile after all.

* * *

><p>Casey was smiling to herself. She was sitting next to Zack in the great hall at the Slytherin table as they ate breakfast, listening to him intently as he told her all kinds of facts and information about the magical game of Quidditch.<p>

He had borrowed a book called "Quidditch Through The Ages" from a fellow Slytherin boy, and had stayed up through the entire last night, reading through the book.

Casey was surprised that Zack was still his usual cool, energetic, quick witted self. Casey would have thought he'd be trying his best just to sit up straight! But here he was, chattering animatedly to her, seeming not to even notice whether she nodded or not. Still. Casey made sure to nod occassionally, just in case he DID notice, and ended up thinking she wasn't listening.

She personally thought Quidditch sounded very, very dangerous, and the first thing she had done when she had gone into the Slytherin common room this morning was write her name on the notice board under the "Magical Arts" class that she wanted to join that would start at the beginning of next week.

But Casey knew she would still be stressing over Quidditch, because she would go to cheer her friends on and watch their games, but she would always worry that they'd fall off their brooms and break a bone or two, or worse!

But...No, it was what her friends had chosen to do, and Casey would do her best not to worry, and to be supportive and encouraging.

Casey was looking around the great hall when she noticed two familiar people at the entrance.

Dinua and Jennifer.

Casey poked Zack in the ribs, then pointed out Dinua and Jennifer to him.  
>Zack raised a hand and waved, getting the attention of the two girls. When they recognized Zack and Casey, they came over to the Slytherin table to greet their friends.<p>

"Greetings." Dinua said, bowing her head slightly. Then she went around the table and sat down across from Zack. Jennifer took up the empty space beside Casey on their side of the table.

"How's your morning been?" Zack asked, grinning at Jennifer and Dinua.

"Pleasant." Dinua answered with bright eyes.

Jennifer seemed as if she had a permanant smile on her face. "The best morning I've ever had in my life. How about you guys?"

"I signed up for Quidditch tryouts." Zack said, his grin widening. "You ready to get swept off your broom for the next seven years?"

Jennifer rolled her eyes, then her smile turned into a grin of her own. "Only if you are. What position are you going to try for?"

"Seeker. You?"

"I'm not telling you! Then you'll have an edge over me..."

And on they went, trading insults and banter, completely ignoring Casey and Dinua, and then Tobias, who joined them at the table a few minutes later.

Casey looked at Dinua and Tobias, wondering what to say to them. Dinua looked back at her, and then she surprised Casey by starting the conversation herself.

"Have you signed yourself up to participate in the Magical Arts class?"

Casey nodded. [Did you sign up for the dueling club yet?]

[This is a fact.] Dinua signed. She turned to Tobias. "Is your morning enjoyable?"

Tobias shrugged. "You could say that."

"I just did." Said Dinua.

Zack jumped into the conversation just then, his eyes gleaming with joy. "Dinua-Overa-Seelah, I think you just made a joke!" He exclaimed happily

Dinua blinked. "Did I?"

Zack grinned. "Pretty sure, yeah." He shot Tobias a satisfied look. "You should talk to her more often, buddy. You made her crack a joke!"

"Maybe she thinks I'M a joke..." Tobias said. But he looked pleased with himself nonetheless.

"So what extra activity have you signed up for?" Zack asked Tobias,

"Oh, uh, nothing. I haven't signed up for anything." Tobias said, trying to sound casual.

"Why not?" Zack demanded, his face falling.

"I just didn't see anything that looked interesting to me, and we'll have our hands full enough with the regular classes, so I don't want to add more work for myself." Tobias said, still in that same false casual tone.

"You'll still come to the Quidditch matches though, right?" Zack said quietly.

Tobias smiled and gave Zack a punch on the arm. "Course I will. I wouldn't want to miss watching my best friend in the whole world fall a hundred feet before hitting the ground."

"Oh, you've done it now! You think Jenny here has a chance of knocking me out of the sky?" Zack cried.

"You don't have to drag me back into it." Jennifer remarked, biting into some buttered bread.

"Yeah I do." Zack countered. "You're the competition!"

Elsewhere in the castle, a loud bell chimed.

"Aha. It is time for our classes to begin." Dinua said loudly, standing up and gathering her bag of books.

Zack and Tobias looked stricken. "What class do we have first?" Zack said quickly.

Tobias shook his head. "No idea. I haven't looked at my schedule yet. Did you get a schedule?"

"Yes but I haven't looked at mine either, I just took it from the common room!"

"What's the point in getting a schedule and going to classes now when we'll just get another one with our extra classes on it next week?" Jennifer wondered aloud.

[Slytherins and Gryffindors have Potions together first. Then we have Defense Against the Dark Arts.] Casey signed to Jennifer and Dinua.

Dinua pulled her schedule out of her bag and looked it over. "Ah. Casey is right. It seems that we have fewer classes this week, but they will last longer than usual."

"How would you know that? You've never been to Hogwarts before!" Tobias said loudly.

"Ah, but I have spoken with older students in the Gryffindor tower who have been in attendance for a longer time than I." Dinua replied.

"When did you get time to do that?" Jennifer asked, giving Dinua a confused look.

"Last night. After you had gone to bed." Dinua answered shortly.

[We should hurry to class. I don't want to be late.] Casey signed quickly, knowing her anxiety was showing on her face, but not caring. She really didn't want to start off her first day with tardiness. That wouldn't impress her teachers, and she'd lose House points, and maybe even get herself a detention.

"We will not be late." Dinua said confidently. "Can you run?"

Casey nodded.

"Then we shall run." Dinua took Casey's hand, and then, true to her word, she and Casey ran out of the great hall.

Zack looked slyly at Jennifer. "So...Race you?"

"Are you serious?" Jennifer laughed. "Alright, you're on- Hey! That's cheating!" Zack had started running out of the great hall while Jennifer had been talking, and Jennifer didn't hesitate to race to catch up with him.

Tobias stood in the great hall, watching them disappear around the corner.  
>"I hope you guys get in trouble for running in the corridors." He muttered. He glanced at his schedule, then started after his friends at a fast walk.<p>

Once in front of the door to the Potions clasroom, Dinua slowed to a stop. She let go of Casey's hand. Casey was panting, and looked exhausted. Dinua looked past Casey and saw her friends Jennifer and Zack running up to her. Their faces were flushed, and they were breathing hard. Jennifer was clutching her sides.

"Ah, my friends, you have made it here in time. Good." Dinua said, smiling behind her mask. She had thought she lost them in the run, and she was pleased that they had managed to keep up with her. "There is nothing like a physical challenge to make the day more relaxing."

Casey frowned, leaning against the stone wall of the dungeons. Jennifer seemed to be refraining herself from making a comment. Zack just laughed.

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" He said with a grin. "We should do this more often."

"Don't encourage her!" Jennifer gasped, still trying to get her breath back. "How can you and her be so...So...Not out of breath?"

Zack's grin didn't leave him, but his eyes adopted a vacant look. "I've been running pretty much my whole life. Baseball, Soccer, Basketball. A little run is no big deal."

[I didn't think the dungeons would be this far away.] Casey signed slowly.

[I apologize.] Dinua replied.

[It's okay. Just warn me next time, so I can walk some of the way. I don't think Humans have as high of an endurance as...As you.]

"I am a Wood Elf." Dinua answered. "But I will warn you of the distance the next time we are to run."

"Wood Elf?" Zack said instantly. "So you live in the forest and-"

"A common Human misconception of my people. I have already discussed this with Jennifer." Dinua said, cutting Zack off. "If you wish to know more about my people, you may simply ask me a question."

Zack's eyes drifted to Jennifer. "Think I'll get the details from HER first before I start asking you stuff."

"We didn't talk about THAT much..." Jennifer muttered, blushing.

"As you wish." Dinua replied, her eyes not leaving Zack. Then she turned on the spot, pushed open the door and strode into the Potions classroom.

Jennifer, Zack, Casey and Tobias looked at each other before following Dinua in.

* * *

><p>The next few days were full of wonders for Jennifer and her friends. And work. The castle was massive and confusing to navigate, but, somehow, Dinua always seemed to know where to go, and she seemed pleased to help her friends get to their classes, even at the expense of her own.<p>

Finding their classes was just the start, however. It wasn't all just waving wands and saying words. They had to write essays, do homework, and look up things in the library.

And then there was Herbology, which had proved to be very interesting on the first day, at least in Jennifer's eyes. The second Dinua had entered the greenhouse, she had gone up to Professor Longbottom and said, "I do not believe I will be able to participate in this class." in a very quiet, very soft voice.

Professor Longbottom had simply nodded and said, in an equally quiet voice, "Headmistress McGonagall told me to expect this from you. I'll find you something to do in place of Herbology."

Dinua had nodded in return, and then she had walked out of the greenhouse, heading back up to the castle.

Jennifer had thought about asking Dinua about that little exchange, but eventually decided against it. Jennifer didn't want to seem like she was nosy, and she knew she had already touched a sensitive topic when she had spoken to Dinua about the Giants during the welcoming feast.

When the weekend came, it was a very welcome relief for everyone, despite that they had classes that they enjoyed as well as disliked.

And the class Jennifer had enjoyed the most so far was, technically, not a class. Broomstick flying lessons. To her own surprise, Jennifer discovered that she had natural talent for flying. Everything had come extremely easy to her, and she was almost embarrassed with herself when she watched the other students struggling to stay balanced and airborn.

Since their first two flying lessons had been with the Slytherins, Jennifer had been able to learn that Zack was a natural born flyer as well, and she had been right to think that Zack would look particularly...Rougish and cool, on a broomstick.

Casey, meanwhile, hadn't wanted to fly at all, and had refused to even get on her broom. It turned out that Casey was terrified of heights, as well as, as she had put it, [Falling through the air without a parachute]. The instructor, a young man in his late twenties, had given Casey a sympathetic frown and a shake of the head, and had told her she could sit the lessons out, since the flying lessons weren't graded in any way.

Almost the opposite of Casey, on one of the days that Gryffindors had been paired with Ravenclaws, Tobias had been eager and excited to fly, but had found that he just couldn't fly as well as he thought he could. He had ended up hanging upside down too many times to count, and lost his grip on the broom handle and slipped off the front half a dozen times.

Interestingly, Dinua had seemed VERY interested in learning to fly a broomstick, and as the first week at Hogwarts progressed, Jennifer feared that Dinua had become obsessed. Jennifer had started catching Dinua staying up for hours into the night, pouring over Quidditch books and filling up dozens of pages with her neat, perfect handwriting. On the few times Jennifer had been able to catch glances at what was being written, Jennifer noticed that it was all long winded paragraphs on Quidditch tactics and broomstick maneuvers.

Dinua herself had proven to be a Goddess at flying, as Zack told anyone who would listen. She was even better than Zack and Jennifer. her one bit from watching everyone else and continuing with her strange obsession with Quidditch and broomsticks.

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Zack cried, leaping head-first into the black lake.

"This isn't how I thought I'd spend my first weekend at Hogwarts." Jennifer said to no one in particular.

"It's sunny, it's Saturday, there's a lake right outside the school, and that means I'm going to swim!" Zack shouted at her before diving down below the surface of the lake again.

"Do Humans often swim around in their water sources?" Dinua asked, not looking up from the Quidditch book she was reading.

"Yup. Why? Wood Elves don't?" Tobias answered from where he sat in the grass, looking at her curiously.

Dinua brought her head up slowly to stare at Tobias. "No, we do not."

"Why's that? You don't have any lakes near your...Uh, village?" Said Tobias, undeterred by Dinua's shortness with him. That was typical Dinua, after all. Short and to the point. She didn't mean it to be rude.

"We live behind walls, if you will recall. It is the responsibility of the scavengers to seek out food and water outside the walls, and bring them into the villages for the people. However, my particular village is fortunate enough to have a river running through it that connects to a lake in the center of the village. We use the river and lake as a source of food and hydration, as well as to ensure that our vegetation grows. Our village was long ago built around the lake."

"So...You're worried about contamination?" Jennifer put in, frowning.

Dinua shook her head. "No. We simply do not wish to...What is the word in your English...Ah, disrespect. We do not wish to disrespect our source of life. The fish are eaten, the water is drank, and the fruits and vegatables are allowed to flourish, all because of the lake and its river. The center of our village is the center of our very existence."

[It's valuable. Treasured.] Casey signed, setting down her half-finished Transfiguration essay.

"This is a fact." Dinua agreed.

"I wish I knew what she was saying. I feel left out." Said Tobias, gesturing at Casey. "And you girls are slow at translating." He added, flashing Dinua and Jennifer a look of annoyance.

Jennifer let out a giggle. "Sorry Toby. I forget that you can't understand sign language. Casey said the river in Dinua's village is a treasure, that it's valuable."

"If you would learn the language yourself, you would not have these problems." Dinua told Tobias.

"That would take way too long." Tobias grumbled. "And don't call me Toby." He added to Jennifer.

"A few days is considered to be a long time?" Dinua asked innocently.

Tobias glared. "I'm a Human, not an Elf! It would take me months, maybe years to learn a whole new language!"

"Ah, I see. Then you are simply a lazy Human, unwilling to put in the time and effort needed in order to more fully converse with a friend." Dinua said, her voice holding traces of amusement.

Tobias looked on the verge of hurling an insult, then he seemed to realize that Dinua was playing with him, and he just gave a shrug. "I guess so." He said, grinning a little.

"Guys, uh, there aren't any sea monsters in here right?" Zack called, swimming closer to the shore.

"I believe there is a Giant Squid, as well as Mer-people, Grindelows, and ancient magical sea snakes." Dinua said seriously.

"Hey, Dinua, you aren't...Trying to make a joke again are you?" Zack shouted uncertainly, his face going pale.

Dinua shook her head. "I do not make jokes, Zack."

Everyone except for Dinua started laughing as Zack frantically resumed swimming his way back to the shore. They all laughed even more when he reached the shallows and stood up, beginning to wade his way forward only to lose his balance and fall backwards into the water, flailing his arms and screaming in terror.

"Hah hah, very funny! I hate all of you!" Zack screeched as he reached them and threw himself down on the grass. "One of you knows a drying spell, right?" He said after a few moments, looking at each of them in turn.

Everyone shook their heads.

"I apologize..." Dinua said, her voice soft and urgent. "I did not mean to frighten you I...I was only answering your question. Please don't hate me, Zack. I don't want to lose you as a friend..."

Everyone could hear the sadness in Dinua's voice. How upset she was. Jennifer half thought Dinua was about to burst into tears.

Zack looked at Dinua in alarm. "Hey, woah woah woah! I didn't mean I ACTUALLY hate you, I just said that because I was all annoyed! I didn't mean it."

Dinua looked back at him with dim, dark green eyes. "Why would you say such a thing if you did not mean it? Why would you do such a thing to me?" She said, her voice desperate and upset. Her words were full of little high pitched whimpers, similar to a dog. But she didn't cry.

"Dinua, relax. Please." Zack said quickly. "Why're you taking this so hard? It was a joke, okay? Just a joke. Me and Tobias say that to each other all the time."

Jennifer was too shocked to speak. So were Tobias and Casey. This was the strongest, plainest display of emotion they had ever witnessed from Dinua. It far surpassed when Dinua had sprang into action against Jennifer's bully on the night they had arrived at Hogwarts, and everyone had been stunned at her fire and anger on THAT occasion.

"I must go." Dinua whispered, getting to her feet. Without waiting for Zack to say another word, she burst into a run across the grounds.

Jennifer, Zack, Tobias and Casey watched her go in shocked silence.

Tobias found his voice first. He turned to Zack. "Dude. You totally screwed things up with her."

Zack launched himself at Tobias with swinging fists.

* * *

><p>Dinua didn't stop running until she reached the castle entrance hall. She knew she had forgotten her Quidditch book, but broomsticks and flying balls that were charmed to strike certain targets suddenly didn't seem all that important to her.<p>

She had only been friends with Zack for six days, and already he had declared her _Keshila Vahn_, "No longer a friend". She knew he had every right to invoke it. She had caused him terror and fear of death, and then she had failed to defend him when his friends, her friends, had laughed at him for it. Zack had tried to pass it off as "Just a joke", but Dinua knew that wouldn't erase the hatred he himself had said he was feeling for her. The hatred she had caused him to feel. He was justified.

Nonetheless, Dinua felt terribly sad as she wandered the halls alone. How could she have done that to her friend? How could she have sat there and pleaded with him? Questioned him? She should have been silent, should have left right at the start! Taken the loss as any warrior would, and not as a spoiled little-

Dinua was shaken from her thoughts as she walked headlong into someone, which she only chastised herself for all the more. A warrior is ALWAYS attentive and aware of her surroundings, a warrior is NEVER distracted so dearly from the world.

"Dinua-Overa-Seelah? Are you alright?" Said the concerned voice of the person Dinua had walked right into.

It was Professor Phoenix.

Mrs. Phoenix, Dinua reminded herself. Bastila Phoenix did NOT like to be called Professor, as she had said in Dinua's very first class with her. Bastila had told the class that "Professor" made her sound older than she was.

"Greetings, Mrs. Phoenix. I apologize for not paying attention, and for walking into you." Dinua said softly, bowing her head. Looking around herself, Dinua was surprised to find that she had walked all the way down into the dungeons, and that she was just outside Bastila's office. Bastila must have been just leaving, then.

"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time its happened to me, and it won't be the last, with all these excitable children running about." Bastila said, smiling and shaking her head. She paused. "You're not alright, are you?" She said quietly.

Dinua looked up at Bastila. The woman always seemed to know what was on Dinua's mind. She always knew when Dinua was confused, or worrying about something, or simply on the verge of answering a question in class.

Dinua shook her head in answer to Bastila's question, knowing it would be useless to try and deceive her.

And besides, Dinua thought, Wood Elves do not do deception.

Dinua didn't even think about attempting to lie.

"I am feeling sad." She said, her dim eyes meeting Bastila's patient, concerned eyes.

"Would you like to talk about it with me, in my office?" Bastila's soft gaze never strayed from Dinua's face.

"Were you not just leaving?" Dinua said, feeling surprised.

"Oh, I was, but your feelings are more important to me than some third year girls' attempts at magically growing their hair out." Bastila laughed. "Another teacher can handle them."

"I see..." Dinua said softly. "Then, yes, thank you. I would like to discuss my troubles with you."

Bastila smiled gently and led Dinua into her office.

Once they had sat down across from each other at Bastila's desk, and Dinua had accepted the offer of tea in an attempt to be polite, Bastila stared at Dinua patiently in the silence.

"Mrs. Phoenix, I-" Dinua paused and looked over her shoulder at the office door. It was closed and locked, but that didn't mean that their conversation couldn't be heard by eavesdroppers, or simply by anyone walking down the hall.

Bastila, again, miraculously seemed to understand what Dinua was worried about, and flicked a finger at the door.

"No sound will go past that door." Bastila said kindly.

"Thank you. I...I am feeling sad because I made a mistake and one of my friends has declared me _Keshila Vahn._ It means 'No longer a friend', in the Elven language. Someone may invoke it against a friend who has seriously harmed them in any way. The recipient of the Keshila Vahn is henceforth unallowed to have contact with that former friend. It is...A sort of exile, but only from one person to another, rather than from a village or a clan."

"You're among Humans now, Dinua-Overa-Seelah. Humans...We don't very often just say what we mean, or what we feel. Sometimes we even say the opposite." Bastila replied quietly. "I sincerely doubt your friend knew about _Keshila Vahn_ when he said what he said to you, no matter how much you might have hurt him."

"Perhaps." No, no perhaps. Dinua KNEW Zack was completely oblivious to Elven society. But he had told her he hated her. "Humans do not live in constant fear for their lives and the lives of their friends and families." Dinua stated, more to herself than to Bastila. "He...He would not have seen it as so grave of an offense as I do. Therefore...Therefore he was not lying when he said he did not mean it..." Dinua looked at Bastila with hope. "He could not have declared _Keshila Vahn_ because he did not understand the severity of my offense in the first place." She continued.

"Which means that we are still friends." Dinua finished. Bastila smiled at her and nodded.

"But I should not feel such sadness. Regardless of whether he understood the situation, I myself did, and I reacted in a way unfitting of a warrior. I did not react how I should have. I should not..." Dinua struggled with her words, then fell silent.

"Dinua-Overa-Seelah, you reacted as a child. As any girl would." Bastila said quietly. "Your reaction was-"

"Unacceptable." Dinua said, her voice coming out sharp. "Please, Mrs. Phoenix, I am not JUST a child. I am not JUST a girl. Nor am I even JUST an Elf. You and I both know that I am far more than any of these things."

"In more ways than one, yes, you're more than those things." Bastila agreed, not taking offense at Dinua's tone. "But at the same time, you are also still those things whether you want to be them or not. They're still facts."

Bastila took a breath before continuing. "I've watched you over the past week, Dinua-Overa-Seelah. For the first time, you're among children your own age. Carefree, fun, nice children. I understand that you haven't been able to embrace those parts of yourself. You've never been able to be JUST a girl, JUST a child. But you have the chance now, at Hogwarts. You shouldn't feel bad when you find yourself thinking or behaving like this. It's natural."

"This is a fact." Dinua said, staring into her cup of tea. "I have been taught from my birth to behave and think in ways that even normal Elven children are not." She looked back up at Bastila. "You may be right. Perhaps I should give myself more slack when it comes to my...Natural behaviors."

"It's your choice. Do you want to let yourself slip into the behavior of a normal child, or do you want to keep holding yourself to standards and rules that...Have no bearing on your life at the moment?" Bastila said carefully.

"I understand. Thank you." Dinua smiled behind her mask, and her eyes brightened. "I have the next seven years to be everything except what I'm ultimately meant to be. I have the freedom to...Be free, and disregard those expectations, laws, and customs, until such time as I am needed to adopt them again."

They both stood in the same moment. Together, they went to the door. Bastila unlocked the door and pulled it open, then gestured for Dinua to leave her office first.

Dinua nodded her head and stepped out into the corridor. She started down the corridor, ready to retrace her steps back to the Entrance Hall-

"Dinua-Overa-Seelah." Bastila said from behind Dinua.

Dinua stopped and turned around to face Bastila.

"There is ONE particular Elven law that I would...STRONGLY SUGGEST, that you don't break..." Bastila's voice was full of amusement, and her lips were curled into a smile.

Dinua paused, and then her own smile returned to her lips, hidden behind her irremovabe mask. "I believe I know the law you are alluding to. And believe me, I will keep in mind the need to at least continue to adhere to THAT law."

* * *

><p>Dinua had only taken one step out of the Entrance Hall and into the courtyard when she came face to face with Zack, Tobias, Casey, and Jennifer.<p>

Dinua froze.

Her friends froze.

Dinua shifted her gaze between Tobias and Zack, in particular. They were both injured. Not majorly so, but they did have an impressive number of very noticable scrapes and bumps between the two of them.

Dinua opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it. No, Dinua. Think freely. Think Human. Not Elf. Not restricted or prim and proper. Her eyes became fixed on Zack. The joker. The one who always had something witty and, presumably, humorous to say. Dinua smiled, and then she said something that shocked even herself after it registered.

"Did you fight over me while I was away?"

Zack's jaw dropped. Tobias looked dumbstruck. Jennifer and Casey gasped in unison.

Zack looked at Tobias and said, his voice incredulous, "Did she...Did she just..."

Tobias looked at Zack. "I think she did..." Tobias replied in awed tones. "She DID!"

Both boys turned to stare at Dinua. "Did you?!" They cried at the same time.

"This is a fact." Dinua's smile grew wider, and she only wished at that moment that they could see it. Then, with a spark of inspiration, she realized that they could. Dinua focused her mind on the sensation of eating, her memory on the morning's breakfast. Just as she had expected, the bottom of her mask melted away to reveal her smiling lips.

Zack's jaw dropped all over again, and then he grinned. His eyes were sparkling as he stepped closer to Dinua. He looked as if he wanted to clap her on the back, or pull her into a hug, but he didn't make a move.

Dinua made it for him. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Zack.

Zack gave a surprised laugh, and he hugged Dinua back.

"So...Guess this means you forgive me?" Zack muttered in her ear.

Dinua kept smiling, and kept hugging him. "You should be the one forgiving me, Zack, my friend. I was behaving as an Elf in my village would, not as a Human at Hogwarts."

"No way. I shouldn't have joked about something like hatred when you don't really get humor." Zack countered.

"Perhaps."

Silence.

"Uh, you can let me go now..." Zack said, laughing and trying to pull away from Dinua.

"I apologize." Dinua replied, letting him free and stepping back.

Zack grinned. "It's cool. So you really want to try and be more like a Human?"

Dinua nodded.

Zack raked a hand through his hair, still grinning. "Well, Human lesson number one. Hugs are usually supposed to be pretty quick."

"I apologize." Dinua repeated, though she was still smiling for Zack and her friends.

Zack laughed again. "Human rule number two, Humans don't say 'I apologize', we say, 'I'm sorry'. Get it?"

"I..Believe so. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Zack."

Zack just shrugged. "I already said it was all my fault."

"I was to blame."

"No, I was, seriously." Zack insisted. "If I hadn't been such an idiot and had figured out that it was some kind of Elf thing that I really hurt your feelings about-"

"The fault is MINE!" Dinua broke in, stamping one foot adamantly.

"Well I...I..." Zack struggled. "Um, want to hear a joke?" He said finally.

Then, to his amazement, and to her own, Dinua erupted into peals of laughter. Her laughter was a high pitched, musical laughter that echoed throughout the courtyard.

"I didn't even tell my joke yet..." Zack started in confusion.

"Ah, Zack, I'm so glad you're my friend." Dinua gasped, putting a hand to her stomach as a fresh wave of mirth assailed her.

"Well, that's great that we're still friends...That means I didn't beat the crap out of Toby for nothing, but what's so funny?"

"Now you know how it feels." Dinua answered as her laughter died away. She wondered at the pleasant feelings coursing through her, and how nice it felt to laugh. No wonder Humans, Zack in particular, did it so often!

"No, seriously, what's funny?" Zack said.

Dinua ran a hand over her lips, feeling her smile. "I have asked myself that question every day that I have spent in your company."

"So..You're not going to answer?"

"Perhaps."

"I give up, let's go to the Quidditch pitch." Zack cried, throwing his hands in the air.

[Is that all you think about?] Casey signed, staring at Zack in feigned shock.

Jennifer giggled.

"What'd she say?" Asked Zack.

"What'd she-" Tobias started. He stopped abruptly, then glared at Zack. "Hey, you stole the thing that I say!"

Zack smirked. "Learn the language, dude, then you won't have that problem."

"Speak for yourself." Tobias responded.

"To the Quidditch pitch!" Jennifer reminded them excitedly. Impatiently.

Casey frowned. [I thought you couldn't fly on weekends without a teacher watching! What if we get in trouble?]

"Do not worry, Casey. We will get a teacher." Dinua assured.

Now it was Zack's turn to frown. "We will?"

"We will." Dinua said. The bottom of her mask rematerialized, and her voice adopted its usual blank tone.

"Okay fine...Take all the fun out of it..." Zack grumbled, smiling despite his words.

"I know just who to get!" Jennifer said confidently. "The only teacher in all of Hogwarts who isn't a total stick in the mud. Come on!" Jennifer rushed past Dinua and took off running down the corridor.

"Oh my god, not again!" Tobias groaned. "I think I've gotten more exercise since meeting you people than I have in my entire life!"

Dinua stood still long enough to say, "Lazy Human." to Tobias before she turned and ran after Jennifer.

"Race you." Zack grinned at Tobias and Casey.

Tobias and Casey looked at each other, then they both shook their heads at Zack.

"You're crazy." Tobias said.

[You're crazy.] Signed Casey.

"Whatever." Zack told Tobias. Zack looked at Casey. "Don't know what you said but, whatever to you too." He ran after Dinua and Jennifer without another word.

Tobias sighed at Casey. "Guess it's just you and me."

[Not a chance.] Casey signed, running after Zack.

* * *

><p>"You're going to have to try a little harder than that to beat me!" Zack boasted. He hung far above the ground, clutching the Golden Snitch in his hand, having caught it for the third time in a row.<p>

Jennifer hung a few feet below him, staring furiously at the captured Snitch that was beating its wings feebly in Zack's hand.

"Maybe you just aren't cut out to be a Seeker-" Zack's sentence was left unfinished as Dinua flashed in front of him, passing him by and zooming off to his right.

Dinua came to a stop and spun around to face Zack. The Snitch was in her hand.

"You could've taken my nose off!" Zack cried.

"Thankfully, that did not happen, and the only thing I have taken from you is the Golden Snitch." Dinua said seriously.

"Maybe we SHOULD break out the Quaffle and Bludgers." Jennifer said loudly. "I might do better as a beater."

"I do not believe Mrs. Phoenix will let us do that. She barely agreed to let us play with the Golden Snitch as it is." Dinua pointed out.

Jennifer glanced over at her mother, who was sitting in the stands with Casey and Tobias. "It can't hurt to ask." Jennifer told Dinua.

Jennifer flew over to her mother, hovering in front of her. "Hey mom, is it okay if we get the Quaffle and the Bludgers out? I'm not very good at being a seeker and I want to see if I can do better playing a different position." Bastila gave her daughter a patient look, and Jennifer went on quickly. "I promise we won't lose anything. And we haven't lost the Snitch! You've seen how good Zack and Dinua are." And I want you to see how good I can be too. Jennifer added silently.

Bastila shook her head, giving Jennifer a sympathetic look, as if she had heard the unspoken words in Jennifer's mind. "Sorry sweetie, but I have to say no. I don't imagine the Quidditch teams would be too happy to know I let you and your friends fly around with just the Snitch, no matter how good you are at keeping track of it."

"Oh, well that's okay." Jennifer said, even though she felt it was the opposite of okay. "I'll just see how I do at tryouts on Monday." She added, trying her best to sound normal. Though the result was that her voice came out sounding strange to herself.

"I could come down here and watch you on Monday if you'd like." Bastila suggested gently.

"It's okay!" Jennifer said quickly. "I mean, you'll probably be in the middle of a class or something and I wouldn't want you to skip it just to watch me fai- To watch me get beat up by some bludgers." Jennifer had caught herself just in time. She had almost said 'To watch me fail'.

Bastila frowned. Again, as if she knew exactly what her daughter had NOT said. But she didn't press the issue. She simply nodded and smiled. "Well, if you're sure about that..."

That was hitting the nail on the head, Jennifer thought. She WASN'T sure whether she really wanted her mother to be there for her tryouts or not. If Jennifer failed, she didn't want her mother there. But if she got a spot on the Gryffindor team, then she'd welcome her mother with open arms and a kiss.

Jennifer didn't know if she could take the chance either way.


	4. Just Another Maniacal Monday

Beyond The Veil is the first book in the sequel series to Heir to The Dark Lord! So read it, review it, and all that! :)

End of Authors Note!

* * *

><p>The rest of their Saturday had passed by in a flash, and Sunday had gone by just as quickly.<p>

Now it was Monday, the day that everyone would get their new schedules, and start their extra classes and activities.

Jennifer felt as if the world had sped up for the sole purpose of making her increasingly more stressed out about disappointing her mother at Quidditch tryouts. When Jennifer awoke on Monday morning to a series of strange sights, she decided that, yes, the world was officially out to get her.

And so were the Sage triplets.

"Naren...Endless...Idith?" Jennifer mumbled blearily, sitting up in bed. "Whichever one of you was just messing with my trunk, you better fix whatever you did or I'll...Do really evil stuff to you when I'm more awake. Or something. Ugh. Nevermind, I don't even care right now..." Jennifer fell back onto her bed, raising a hand to block out the sunlight that was threatening to melt her eyes.

"Good. Then you won't have any problem with the fact that you're missing your robes. And all your...Stupid Yugioh trap cards."

"WHAT?!" Jennifer bolted upright and leapt out of bed. She was still getting oriented when the dormitory door slammed shut, and Jennifer was left alone to consider the long mane of yellow hair she had glimpsed before the door had closed.

The curtains around another bed suddenly swung open, revealing Dinua. "Jennifer, my friend, I find great pleasure in your company, and you are a loyal and good friend...But why must you begin every morning with some kind of loud noise or other similar disturbance?"

"It wasn't my fault this time!" Jennifer snapped, rummaging through her trunk to be sure that her things HAD in fact been stolen before stalking over to the dormitory door and wrenching it open. "One of those evil Sage triplets stole my Hogwarts outfit AND all my Yugioh trap cards! And it took me YEARS to collect those cards!" She called back to Dinua as she stomped down the stairs down to the Gryffindor common room.

As Jennifer entered the common room, she immediately spotted the three Sage triplets sitting at a table near the notice board. Jennifer's cards were spread out on the table in front of them, and her Hogwarts outfit was inside out and hung carelessly on the back of a chair.

"Which one of you did it?!" Jennifer nearly screamed, rushing over to the triplets. As it was, she managed to keep her voice at a reasonable shout.

"Endless did it!" Naren instantly cried, scooting her chair back and getting to her feet.

"It was obviously you. The first to squeal is the culprit." Endless replied calmly.

"I don't know why you like playing this childish game." Idith said, looking at Jennifer curiously.

"It's NOT a childish game! It takes strategy, planning, and forethought!" Jennifer replied, outraged as she stormed over to the table and began gathering up her cards.

"Aren't strategy and planning the same thing?" Naren said in confusion.

"You're an idiot, sister of mine." Endless told Naren.

"Well at least I'm not...Weird...Like you and Idith." Naren countered, her voice going quiet at the end.

"Mother told you not to speak of it." Idith said mildly.

"She wouldn't be happy to hear that you were talking about it." Endless agreed in a smooth voice.

"Especially not in the common room where others can hear you." Said Idith.

"I don't have time for your nonesense this morning! Today's a really big day for everyone! Why'd you have to start it off with a stunt like this?" Jennifer cried, slipping her game cards into her pajama pants pocket.

"If it will make you feel any less angry, I didn't have any idea what Naren was planning. But I was interested in seeing the outcome." Endless directed at Jennifer, still in that odd calm voice of hers.

"And you?" Jennifer said, looking at Idith. Idith simply stared back at her, her face expressionless.

"Like Endless, I wanted to see what you would do, so I didn't make any effort to stop Naren." Idith tilted her head at Jennifer. "You're very interesting. Not as interesting as another in Gryffindor tower, but you're interesting enough to hold our attention."

"Have they returned to you your stolen possessions?" Dinua asked Jennifer, coming down the stairs into the common room.

"Hello, Dinua-Overa-Seelah," Endless greeted Dinua before Jennifer could answer. Dinua approached the table, her eyes moving between the Sage girls. "We were just talking about you..."

"...And now we would like to speak with you." Said Idith, picking up where Endless had left off. "You're a very fascinating person. It would make us very happy if you would spare a few minutes to speak with us."

Dinua's gaze shifted between Endless and Idith. "That will have to wait. There is not much time until the day begins." She said finally.

"Not even a few minutes?" Said Endless, tilting her head to the side.

"How disappointing." Said Idith, her eyes glinting strangely.

Jennifer saw a trace of a shiver run through Dinua's body. Jennifer snatched her Hogwarts outfit from the back of Naren's chair and rushed back up to the dorm room. As Jennifer changed, she wondered at the shiver that had gone through Dinua. Had it been caused by Idith and Endless, or was it just a coincidence?

Could Dinua be feeling creeped out by them? Was she even capable of feeling creeped out? Last week, Jennifer wouldn't have thought so. But this week, with a more emotionally free, relaxed Dinua, Jennifer thought it was a major possibility. As Jennifer headed back down to the common room, fully dressed, with her book bag on her shoulder, Jennifer resolved to ask Zack to ask Dinua about Dinua's feelings toward Idith and Endless.

"...What are you attempting to tell me?" Dinua was saying when Jennifer reentered the common room.

"Your body doesn't match your abilities." Endless replied.

"It is rather puzzling, I admit." Idith added. "Are you taking any endurance or strength enhancing potions?"

"No." Dinua said flatly. "My body's physical abilities are natural, and they are my own."

"And she worked hard to get this way." Jennifer put in, going and standing beside Dinua in support. "AND she works hard to keep herself this way."

And it was true. Besides Dinua's morning runs, she also did stretching and practiced her hand to hand combat skills. And yesterday, Dinua had even told Jennifer and her friends about her desire to scale the outside of Hogwarts castle. Dinua had immediately assured her friends that climbing around the walls of Hogwarts would be MUCH easier and safer than climbing the walls around her village, due to the fact that Hogwarts had more handholds and spots to attach ropes.

"This is a fact." Dinua said, turning bright eyes on Jennifer.

"Come on Dinua, let's get to class." Jennifer said, casting a look at Idith and Endless. If Dinua WAS creeped out by them, Jennifer couldn't blame her! She was starting to get creeped out herself!

"I will gladly accompany you to class. Immediately." Said Dinua.

Jennifer and Dinua left the common room, stepping out into the cool hallway.

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung shut behind them.

Dinua looked at Jennifer for a moment, and in that moment Jennifer suspected that Dinua was smiling behind her mask.

"Are we going to run this morning?" Dinua asked.

Jennifer smiled. "I'm up for it."

Dinua nodded. "Good."

They stood silently for a few seconds, still looking at each other. Dinua's eyes brightened considerably. Then Dinua broke into a run. Jennifer smiled to herself and followed Dinua.

* * *

><p>"What have we got today?" Zack said, his excited eyes on Jennifer.<p>

Jennifer giggled. "We just went over it!" She replied, waving her new schedule in Zack's face.

Zack grinned, holding up his own schedule. "I know. And I think I got it, but just in case, tell me the whole thing again I wasn't listening."

"Fine!" Jennifer laughed. "Me and you have Quidditch tryouts right after we're done with breakfast," She took an exampliary bite of muffin at the word 'Breakfast' "Casey has her magical arts class right before lunch, and Dinua has her dueling club meeting right AFTER lunch."

"Sweet. So we get to watch her wipe the floor with a bunch of snotty weak little Humans?" Zack threw a grin at Dinua, hoping to get her to laugh.

She didn't. But when she spoke, everyone could tell she was smiling. "Unfortunately that will not be possible. You have a study period during the time that I will have my dueling club meeting."

"Darn." Zack said, not looking upset in the least. In fact, his grin grew even wider.

[I can't wait to start my arts class. I have a lot of ideas for some animated statues and pictures.]

"Like what?" Jennifer asked, smilling at Casey.

Casey smiled back. [Well, it would be really neat to make some flying dragon statues and sculptures. For the pictures, I was thinking about painting cartoon characters. They'd be funner to talk to than all the old wizards and witches around Hogwarts.]

"I knew it! Everyone likes dragons! Dragons are just plain awesome." Tobias said after Jennifer had translated for him and Zack.

Casey shook her head at Tobias. [If I do make them, I'd like to send them to my brother. I think he'd really like that. He works with dragons, you know.]

Jennifer, again, quickly translated.

"You have to introduce me!" Tobias exclaimed immediately after Jennifer's translation.

"She doesn't have to do anything." Jennifer said, laughing.

The familiar bell chimed in the distance.

Zack and Jennifer stood up in the same moment. "Quidditch tryouts!" They chorused, at nearly the exact same time before rushing out of the Great Hall.

"I will see you later." Dinua said politely to Tobias and Casey, getting up from the table and throwing her schoolbag over her shoulder.

"You'll see me in History of Magic!" Tobias called after Dinua as she left the Great Hall. "Unless..That was what you meant by later, and not after that- Annnnnd she's gone."

Tobias turned to Casey with a sigh. "Why is it that we're always the ones getting left behind?"

Casey gave him a shrug, then got up from the table and started out of the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>"Alright I want to see some hustle out there! And not the...Illegal street deal..Kind of hustle...I mean the...Oh nevermind! Just do what you're already doing, except faster! The bottom line is: I'm not impressed!"<p>

That was the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, a fifth year girl named Amber Wennen, shouting at the first years who were flying laps around the Quidditch pitch. Amber's blood red ponytail fluttered in the breeze as she tracked the first years' progress around the field, her face hard.

"In fact, from what I've seen so far none of you has got what it takes to get a spot on my team! Except one of you, and that's the kid in the front! But even he won't get a spot if he can't stop showing off and grinning like an idiot!" Amber continued to mercilessly shout across the field.

The grinning idiot was Zack. He was the only one flying straight and steady. He was far ahead of the other first years, and he gave the occassional barrel roll or loop-the-loop as he went around the field.

Jennifer sat in the stands, watching all of this. She didn't envy Zack. He would have to deal with the frightening Amber Wennen for the next few years, up close and personal. If he made it on the team, that is. Jennifer glanced over at the other Gryffindor first years hoping to get on the Gryffindor team, and then she looked at the Gryffindor team Captain.

Gryffindor's Captain was another fifth year girl. She had short-cut black hair, and her name was Veronica Myers. When she had introduced herself to Jennifer and the other first years and explained what they'd be doing here today, she had seemed nice enough.

But then, so had Amber, when Jennifer had watched her introduce herself to her Slytherin first years. It was like a switch had been flipped in Amber, and Jennifer wondered if it was a deliberate tactic to get the most out of the Slytherin hopefuls or if Amber had just been REALLY ticked off by something someone had done or said within the past twenty minutes.

"Okay, that's it, everybody off the field!" Amber roared. "And don't you ever come back, because if I recognize any of you I'll just send you right back off the field again! AND I WON'T BE SO GENTLE ABOUT IT NEXT TIME!"

Jennifer blinked. Amber thought screaming herself hoarse and making people cry was being GENTLE? Jennifer shuddered to think what sort of behavior Amber considered to be mean or cruel.

"You! Get on the ground right now and stay put!" Amber strode across the field, stopping in front of Zack when he landed.

Even with how far away she was, Jennifer could tell Zack STILL had a happy grin on his face.

"Do you want to be on this team or not?!" Amber shouted, getting in Zack's face.

Jennifer could only imagine what kind of a joke he had made to get THAT kind of response. She wished Zack would quit while he was ahead. She really didn't want to see him fail to get on the team just because he wasn't being serious.

There was a long silence that wasn't broken by any more shouting from Amber, and then she and Zack were walking back toward the stands.

"I found my new Seeker!" Amber squealed, sticking her tongue out at Veronica and the Gryffindor hopefuls. "He PROMISED me he'll win me the Quidditch cup this year! Oh this is going to be so great! Bye bye now!" Amber's face was lit up with delight, and she cheerfully skipped off the field, pushing Zack along ahead of her every so often.

There was that switch again. Jennifer thought. She was utterly nonplussed by Amber Wennen. Jennifer hoped Zack would be able to handle Amber's crazy mood swings.

Veronica Myers got to her feet, staring at the Gryffindor hopefuls for a moment. She sighed. "Okay, let's run some drills."

Jennifer and the other Gryffindors were soon up in the sky on broomsticks with Veronica. Veronica's testing process was far more rigorous than Amber's had been. Veronica actually had them play a real game of Quidditch, saying it was the best way to assess their potential.

Jennifer and the others were rotated out of their positions every so often, so as to give everyone a chance to see what they might be good at.

And Jennifer, it turned out, was an extremely good Keeper. Her problem as a Seeker, a Beater, and a Chaser, as Jennifer had already known, was that she wasn't fast enough, wasn't agile enough, to zip around the field in all the chaos of a Quidditch match. But as a Keeper, where she only had to float around the goal hoops and keep people from scoring...

Only four out of the fifteen times that the Quaffle had come her way had the Quaffle actually made it past her into one of the three hoops.

And so, nearly an hour later, Veronica told Jennifer that she was officially the new Gryffindor Keeper, and that Jennifer was to attend Gryffindor practice sessions three times a week at six in the morning.

Jennifer was glowing with pride and happiness as she walked back to the castle. Her eyes went to the stands for a moment, and Jennifer wished briefly that her mother had been there to see her become Gryffindor Keeper.

* * *

><p>"Art." Said Professor Port dramatically. He was a large, round man with a pompous, yet kindly demeanor. And a big, bristling white mustache. "The word may invoke images of the fantastic, such as the Dragon statues that are said to guard the entrance to the famous Roman Wizarding stronghold of 1713, or the portraits of long dead Headmasters and Headmistresses in the office of our dear Headmistress McGonagall, who are imprinted with the memories and essence of the souls of their once living counterparts, and as such are able to impart their wisdom and advice to future Headmasters or Headmistresses in a manner that has never been replicated!"<p>

Professor Port stared around at the class, which was taking place in the courtyard, and waited a good five seconds before starting to speak again.

"But such greatness was only achieved by the greatest of artisans, sculptors, and crafters. However! That is why you are here, whether you realize this or not, my young pupils! You are here now, before me, so that I can cull out the simpletons and the unimaginative to find the hidden gems of creativity and greatness that surely hides among you, just waiting to be discovered!"

Several students seated at the long tables that had been set up for them bristled at the unintended, or maybe, the intended, insult.

Casey, basking in the sunlight and hanging onto Professor Port's every word, didn't take the insult to heart. She knew that was just how it was. Some people were better than others, and of course Professor Port would want to find the best of them in his class! It wasn't different than Quidditch, Casey thought. The Quidditch teams always weeded out the bad from the good, and took the good into their teams.

"For those of you who will undoubtedly find that they do not, in fact, have the seeds of a great artist within them, do not fear! Because, rest assured, while you're in my hands, I might be able to find some use for you, and decide to keep you around!" Professor Port said loudly, beaming at his students. "Yes, you heard me! Not everyone will continue in this class at the end of the week, and not everyone will go on from here at the end of their time at Hogwarts and become the next Helphius Port! Hehehehe." He let out a self indulgant chuckle.

None of the students laughed with him.

Casey was sitting up straight now, fully awake and more attentive than she had been before. She WAS NOT going to be one of the students who would have to leave the class on Friday because of a lack of talent or creativity!

"Now then!" Port exclaimed, startling several students that had been soaking in the sun and resting with their heads in their hands. "Magical art is much more than simply painting with a brush, or conjuring up a statue and casting a little spell or two! Oh yes, magical art is a much more complex and mentally involved process than that! Hehe. If it was such a simple thing, why, everyone would be as talented as me! Why, many years ago in fact, when I was but a small minded, eager young pupil like yourselves..."

Casey mentally sighed. She liked Professor Port, and she was looking forward to the class, but she wished he wasn't so extravegant and theatrical and that he would just hurry up and get on with things! Still, she sat up straight and listened to him chatter on.

Professor Port had important and useful things to say if you could look under all the self promotion.

"...Which brings me back to my point that you should always have your entire piece envisioned in your mind from start to finish before you set out to create it, lest you birth a monstrosity beyond your control!"

Important and useful things like that. And Casey wouldn't have had a problem with it, if it hadn't taken ten minutes for Professor Port to get around to saying it!

* * *

><p>It was charms class. The final class Dinua had before she would go to the first dueling club meeting. Dinua was supposed to be levitating a feather, and she wasn't having very much success. The feather would rise off the desk, only to fall back down again a moment later. Dinua wondered what the point was in levitating the feather when she could simply pick it up with her hands. After all, it wasn't as if the feather was something large and heavy-<p>

'Aha.' Dinua thought. 'That is the point.'

Levitating the feather was a stepping stone to levitating a pillar, or even a Giant. If they could levitate a feather, they could levitate anything.

With her new insight, Dinua pointed her wand at the feather and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather once again rose up into the air. And this time it didn't fall. The wand hadn't been the problem. The feather hadn't been the problem. The problem had been Dinua herself, and her beliefs and thoughts on Wand-Magic.

The class continued on, and Dinua was pleased that Jennifer had managed to levitate her feather with ease.

When the class ended, Dinua found herself feeling confident and proud. She had just proven that she, a Wood Elf, could preform Human Wand-Magic. All she had to do was believe in herself, and think about things a little differently. It didn't matter that she could pick up the feather. It mattered that she could levitate it, because she would know that she could levitate anything else.

When Dinua entered the Great Hall, she found it had been cleared out for the dueling club meeting. All the tables were gone. Two benches were set up against the walls. A massive, wide square platform had been placed in the middle of the Great Hall. The platform was raised slightly off the floor, and a shimmering magical dome surrounded it.

Dinua was the first person to arrive, so she sat down on the bench to her left, dug out her Quidditch book and her pen and papers, and continued writing where she had left off the night before. Over the next few minutes, other students began to enter the Great Hall, taking their seats on either of the two benches as well. Dinua payed no attention to the other students or their conversations. She simply concentrated on her writing. She hoped no one would try and talk to her while she was in the middle of such important work.

That hope died in the next thirty seconds, as two girls with yellow-blond hair sat down on either side of Dinua. Two girls that Dinua did not want to interact with at all.

"Dinua, this is a pleasant surprise." Said Endless, sitting on Dinua's left.

"What a coincidence." Said Idith, sitting to the right of Dinua, her eyes glinting. "Of all the Gryffindors...Who would have known that you shared the same interest in magical combat as my sister and I?"

Dinua was frozen where she sat. She wondered if she should simply ignore the twin girls and continue with her Quidditch writings, but, after giving it some more thought, she decided that she would face them. A warrior did not shy away from the things that they feared. They met their fears head on.  
>Warriors weren't fearless, they simply didn't allow their fears to cause them to turn and run away. Dinua wouldn't run away from her fears. Not when they were simply two eleven year old Human girls. Even if they did disturb her and make her feel as if she were about to be stabbed in the back at any moment.<p>

And, perhaps if Dinua were to talk to the girls, she would discover just why they were making her feel this way.

"Hello." Dinua said calmly. She closed her book and put her things back into her bag, then looked at the girls to her left and right.

"You're not surprised?" Said Endless, staring at Dinua with those strange eyes of hers. "I would've expected you to be surprised."

"I am surprised." Dinua replied. "I am wondering if you and Idith saw my name on the notice board and decided to attend the dueling club simply as a means of continuing to harrass me."

"Endless and I aren't harrassing you, we only want to speak to you. Is that such a bad thing?" Idith responded, looking Dinua up and down with the same strange look as Endless.

"When you follow me around a large castle and refuse to take your eyes off of me...Yes. I do not feel comfortable around the two of you, and I dislike how you have been pursuing me." Dinua said truthfully.

Endless looked at Idith. "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to-"

"-Make you feel so uncomfortable." Finished Idith, staring back at Endless.

Dinua stared straight ahead, wondering where the teacher was. The feeling of an impending attack was growing stronger, and she felt a panic rising up within herself as she was sitting trapped between Idith and Endless. Dinua did not know what, but she knew that there was something very wrong with both of these girls.

"Now now, you should know better than to ignore people." Idith's voice came to Dinua, taking her from the safety of her own head.

"It's unbecoming of a warrior." Endless said, her voice smooth. "How will you ever know where a threat is coming from if you have no idea what's around you?"

Dinua's panic was like a dam waiting to burst. It had reached an all time high. Dinua knew, she just knew, that Idith and Endless were going to harm her any second now. And she was not going to wait around for it to happen.

Dinua jumped to her feet and leaped off the bleachers. She strode across the Great Hall, over to the other bleachers, and sat down beside a boy from Hufflepuff that she did not know.

But at least he was not Idith or Endless.

Dinua felt a wave of relief and security pass over herself as Bastila Phoenix finally entered the Great Hall. Dinua did not even care that she had left her bag on the other bench with Idith and Endless. They would not dare mess with Dinua's things while Bastila was here. Of that, Dinua felt certain.

Bastila's usual, long, flowing black hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head. She also was not wearing a dress or gown, as she usually did. Instead, she was wearing sweat pants and a tank top. She waved a hand at the massive doors of the Great Hall. They slowly closed shut. Bastila waved her hand again, this time encompassing the entirety of the Great Hall. The candles and torches were suddenly alight with fire, and the windows were all closed and blocked by curtains, leaving the Great Hall cloaked in an eerie darkness that was barely being staved away by the flaming torches along the walls and floating candles near the ceiling above.

Of course, for Dinua, this was not much of a problem. She could see in the dark as clearly as she could in the day, and already she could feel her species' night vision starting to adjust to the sudden darkness. Dinua imagined this would give her the advantage here, if they would be expected to duel in this most minimal of lighting.

"Welcome to the dueling club." Bastila addressed the students, her voice loud enough to carry through the Great Hall. "The dueling club will meet once a week, every week for the next seven years of your lives. For the next seven years of your lives, you'll learn the art of magical combat. Now, can anyone tell me what they think happens in magical combat? Define for me what exactly magical combat is."

The Great Hall was quiet. No one moved. They were all enraptured by Bastila, hanging on to her every word. Then the boy next to Dinua raised his hand.

"Yes?" Bastila said, giving him her full attention. "What's your name, and what do you think happens in magical combat?

"Jaden, Mrs. Phoenix. I'm Jaden Diggory." The boy said loudly. "And isn't magical combat just another way to say dueling? Um. But what it is, is two wizards standing facing each other and pretty much throwing spells at the other person until they drop."

Bastila smiled and stepped up onto the platform, passing through the magical field. "Good question, Jaden." She shook her head, then let her eyes roam over all the students. "But no. Magical combat and dueling are two very different ways of combat. Dueling has rules and regulations. Dueling is very formal and controlled. But it can look a lot like magical combat to someone who doesn't know the difference."

"Now, what you described to me was dueling." Bastila continued after a brief pause to gather her words. "Which you'll all be doing right here in this little arena over the next few years. But, you'll be learning magical combat skills, which can be applied to both dueling and magical combat. DUELING SKILLS, on the other hand, CANNOT be applied to magical combat. It doesn't go both ways. Does everyone understand me so far, or did I lose you?"

Everyone nodded and gave shouts of confirmation.

Bastila smiled again, looking pleased with herself as well as with her students.

Dinua was captivated. She had not blinked once in the past three minutes. She could not take her eyes off of Bastila.

The woman was a true warrior. Bastila knew what she was talking about. She had fought and won wars, had dueled the most skilled and deadly wizards and witches in recent history. She had done things many had believed to be impossible, and then she had done them several times over. Her powers of precise and controlled wandless magic was just one such example. She had changed the world itself, even, uniting the magical and non-magical and bringing them into a time of peaceful co-existence.

Dinua was an Elven warrior. And she would learn how to be a HUMAN warrior by learning from the greatest of them all.

"Okay, so now that we've established what sets magical combat apart from dueling, and you've been told what you'll be learning...Would you like to SEE just what you'll be learning here?" Said Bastila, fire light reflecting magnificently in her eyes.

Once again, everyone nodded and said yes.

"Alright. Since I believe in a practical, hands on approach to things, I'll ask for a volunteer to join me in the arena for a little demonstration."

No one moved. No one seemed to want to volunteer.

Dinua was surprised at this. How could these children want to become warriors, but refuse to partake in a demonstration of the things they wished to learn? Then Dinua told herself that they were only children, and again, that Human children did not grow up as Elven children did. They did not always live in fear, always fighting and struggling to survive. For Humans, being a warrior was not a necessity, as it was for Wood Elves.

"Nobody? Come now, there has to be someone who's willing to step up." Bastila prodded, her voice cheerful. "Who here wants to help demonstrate what a magical warrior will face?"

Magical warrior. Dinua smiled. Yes, they were magical warriors. Dinua stood up and walked over to the platform. She stepped up onto it, facing Bastila. "I would be honored to assist you in your demonstration, _Harsel Dek Varal._" Dinua said firmly, bowing her head in respect.

_Harsel Dek Varal_. Master of War, or War Master. The highest, most respectful title of recognition any Elven warrior could receieve. Of course, the title also had a literal meaning, as it could only be attributed to an Elf who had actually survived a war. Very few had.

Bastila stared for a moment, then bowed her head as well. "You honor me by choosing to assist me in this, Dinua-Overa-Seelah." She replied formally. Then she said, her voice low. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you beyond a few painful falls. Stunning spells tend to do that. They put you unconcious."

Dinua nodded, grateful for the warning.

Bastila walked to the other side of the platform, then turned around to face Dinua. "Ahem." Bastila said, looking at the students on the benches. "So, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about this arena. See the magical ward I've put up around it? That is what's going to prevent any missed or redirected spells from flying around the Great Hall and hitting any of you."

"Yes, combat spells can be blocked. And if you're skilled enough, you can redirect them elsewhere, or even right back at your opponent. Although, redirection is MOSTLY only useful if you're fighting multiple opponents. Playing ping pong with a singular enemy and their spells isn't a very good way to go about defeating them, not to mention it can have disasterous consequences if two spells or more end up colliding with one another. That much volatile magical energy pressing against each other can cause a very big boom."

Several students laughed at that.

Dinua didn't. She could tell that what Bastila had said had been a joke, of course, something amusing, but she did not want to laugh at Bastila's words. Dinua suspected that even the joke held useful information, if only she could understand the joke. She would have to tell it to Zack later. He would be able to explain it to her, Dinua decided. Of course, the part about spells colliding with one another had been self explanatory to Dinua.

"So, Dinua-Overa-Seelah." Bastila looked at Dinua from across the platform. "The offensive spell you're going to be using is Stupefy. What this spell does is that it makes whoever it hits instantly fall unconcious. It doesn't leave any bruises or marks, and it works on anyone, except for a few choice magical creatures like Dragons, of course, so you can see why it will be the ideal dueling spell for us. The DEFENSIVE spell you'll be using is Protego, which casts a shield much like the one around the arena, but only around yourself. It takes mental energy and concentration to maintain it, though, and even more to redirect any spell that comes into contact with it."

Dinua nodded, still concentrating on Bastila's every word. That's when she realized something odd about what Bastila had said to her. "The spell I am going to be using is this stunning spell? May I ask which spell you will be using?"

Bastila gave her a proud smile, as if she had known Dinua would catch that, and question it. "I won't be using anything lethal, but I WILL be using a few other harmless spells besides Stupefy. These are spells that you and everyone else in the dueling club will learn to use, in time."

"I understand." Dinua said calmly.

"Good. Now, wand at the ready." Bastila flexed her wrist, and a white wand that looked as if it had snake scales on it came down out of the holster on her forearm, slipping into her hand.

Dinua reached into a pocket on the front of her robe and pulled her own wand out. She turned to the left and pointed her wand at the magical barrier. "Stupefy." She said clearly.

To her surprise, a brilliant, pure red jet of light flashed out of the end of her wand, fast as lightning, and struck the barrier. Another red flash was the only indication that the spell had struck the barrier.

Bastila gave Dinua an encouraging nod.

Dinua cleared her throat and said "Protego." A whitish-blue see-through dome appeared around Dinua. It stayed up for a full second before disappearing. Dinua concentrated on how the barrier had looked, focusing herself. "Protego." She repeated. She kept her concentration, staring at the barrier. She raised her wand to cast a spell when suddenly the barrier disappeared. It had lasted five seconds.

Dinua understood it now. As Bastila had said, concentration was the key. But one also had to learn to DIVIDE their concentration, and to do so extremely quickly, given that they would be in the middle of combat.

"Do you think you're ready to try it out for real now?" Bastila asked, giving Dinua a little smile, and getting a nod in return. "Okay, then we'll start on the count of three." Bastila paused for a moment, then looked at the other students again. "I'll be saying my spells aloud, just as Dinua-Overa-Seelah will be. But I'm sure you all remember from Defense Against the Dark Arts class that you can learn to cast spells non-verbally, or in other words, simply by thinking them. This gives you an incredible edge in combat, since your opponent has no idea what spells you'll cast, or when."

Dinua smiled behind her mask. She remembered that part of class well, and she was going to do everything she could to master nonverbal spells during her time at Hogwarts. And if she did master it, she could surprise her fellow duelists one day in the arena.

Bastila took a breath, then looked at Dinua. "Alright, let's get to it."

"One..." Bastila raised her wand.

"Two..." Dinua raised hers.

"Three..." The flames went out, the curtains disappeared, and the doors to the Great Hall flew open, flooding the Hall in sunlight.

"Expelliarmus." Bastila said, her wand aimed at Dinua.

No, not only at Dinua. More specifically, Dinua's trained, analytical eyes noticed, Bastila's wand was pointed off to the side, at Dinua's wand.

Dinua registered this in a heartbeat, and gripped her wand tightly, ready for anything to happen, and ready to throw up a shield at any moment. She was grateful that she had. She felt her wand give a great tug, as if someone invisible was trying to pull it from her grasp. Dinua's arm jerked up into the air with her wand, but she managed to hang onto it. "Protego!" She said quickly. Dinua would not be able to cast any offensive spells with her wand pointed at the ceiling, and she was left wide open for any more spells from Bastila.

The shield formed around Dinua, but no other attacking spells came her way. Dinua stared at Bastila for a moment, then lowered her wand.

Bastila was standing with her wand at her side, looking impressed. "Dinua-Overa-Seelah..." She said, smiling radiantly at Dinua. "You're a natural."

Dinua was momentarily distracted by the sunlight streaming over Bastila's head, which was lighting up her shiny black hair and her ponytail. Dinua blinked. "Thank you." She replied, accepting Bastila's compliment. In truth, Dinua had only been applying her warrior training that she had been taught in her village.

"So, what did you do?" Said Bastila.

"I noticed where you were aiming your wand. At my own wand, therefore I knew to expect something to happen with my wand." Dinua explained, knowing that Bastila wanted her to explain not just for her, but for the other students as well.

"Perfect. And THAT is one of the first things you should know about magical combat, or any form of combat really. AWARENESS." Bastila's smile turned into a little smirk. "Or, as an old Auror keeps telling me...Constant vigilance. Know yourself, know your surroundings, and know your enemy, and you can, more often than not, turn the tide of a battle in your favor. Or, at the least, not get taken out of the fight."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Phoenix." A girl's voice said. "I was wondering if I might be able to join Dinua in the arena."

"I'd like to step in as well." Said the same girl. No. Another girl. "My sister and I want to demonstrate a fight with multiple enemies."

Idith and Endless.

Dinua felt a shiver go through her body. She did not want to have to face those two in combat, especially not at the same time-

Wait. What am I thinking? Dinua thought to herself. I am a warrior. I do not run, I do not cower and hide. No, I will face them both, and I will win. There is no reason to be fearful of beaten enemies. There is no reason to be disturbed by those you have bested.

Yes, Dinua thought strongly. I will fight them, and I will conquer them, and therefore, my fears of them.

Bastila was looking between Idith and Endless, and Dinua, with a slight frown. Her gaze lingered on Dinua for a few moments, and then the frown disappeared.

"Mrs. Phoenix, I would like to accept their challenge." Dinua said quietly.

Bastila gave her a brief smile. "I thought you might." She crossed the arena and leaned down, her mouth where Dinua's ear would be, were Dinua not wearing a hood and mask. "You can use Expelliarmus if you'd like. There's another one you can use called Incarcerous, which sends out thick ropes to bind your target." She whispered to Dinua. Then Bastila straightened and stepped back.

Idith and Endless entered the arena, taking up positions on the far side of the platform, opposite of Dinua. Bastila had walked off the side of the arena and was now standing just outside the magical barrier.

"On the count of three." Bastila said slowly. "One...Two...Three."

* * *

><p>Jennifer sighed, then covered her mouth with a hand when she realized that her sigh was WAY too loud in the complete silence of the study hall area. Several other students were already giving her looks of annoyance! Jennifer blushed and hid her head behind her Transfigurations book. She wondered where Zack had gone, and when he'd get back. He had told Jennifer he was only going to the bathroom, and he'd said the same thing to Professor Sylvia, their History of Magic teacher who was also overseeing the study hall period.<p>

But, having seen the massive grin on Zack's face before he had sped out into the hall, Jennifer somehow doubted that what Zack had SAID he was going to do was ACTUALLY what he was going to do.

Jennifer looked at Tobias and Casey, who were sitting on either side of her. Then Jennifer looked down at their homework. She REALLY didn't want to resort to cheating, but it wasn't Jennifer's fault that Hogwarts seemed to give out twice as much homework as her non-magical school had.

"No cheating..." Tobias muttered.

Great, Jennifer thought. The first time I try to cheat and I get caught.

Or maybe Tobias could just spot a cheater really easily. After all, Tobias WAS best friends with Zack, who had admitted several times over about how many times he'd cheated off of Tobias's papers at their non-magical school.

Jennifer was just thinking about making up to Professor Sylvia about having to go to the bathroom herself so that she could look for Zack, when Zack himself came running into the study hall room.

"Dinua is fighting Idith and Endless!" Zack exclaimed, his face full of excitement.

So THAT was where he had gone. It made sense to Jennifer, and she really should have figured it out on her own, since her study hall period was at the same time as Dinua's dueling club.

Tobias, Casey, and Jennifer all looked at each other. Then they looked at Professor Sylvia, and then at Zack who-

Who was already gone again.

Jennifer and Casey sprang up out of their seats and rushed out of the room. Tobias took it further and actually climbed over the table, much to the displeasure of the other students, and Professor Sylvia.

Professor Sylvia rushed after Jennifer, Casey and Tobias, telling the rest of the students to stay put and do their homework on her way out.

A girl with stringy black hair and a long nose sat in her seat for a few moments, staring out into the hall. Then, she too got up and left the room.

* * *

><p>Dinua cartwheeled to the side, avoiding a stunning spell sent by Endless, then she leaned forward, crouching low to let the predicted stunner of Idith's pass over her. Dinua could not help but feel impressed by their teamwork; their ability to play off of what the other happened to be doing at any one time.<p>

But they were still telegraphing, and they were able to be predicted. Despite this, it was all Dinua could do to remain in the fight. She would get a spell off at one or the other of the twin girls, only to have it blocked by one girl or the other. They were always covering each other, always using each other to their advantage.

Dinua supposed she would have to begin to play off of them as well.

"Stupefy!" Dinua said, pointing her wand to the right of Idith, just enough so that it would graze her. Enough so that Idith would defend herself.

The jet of red light flew towards Idith. Idith, ever expressionless, ever calm, simply said "Protego" as if she was not in the middle of an intense combat situation. The shield appeared, just as Dinua had hoped. And, as Dinua had also hoped, Idith had been prepared to bounce the spell back at Dinua.

Dinua's stunner was sent shooting off to the side, and it would have struck Endless in the ribs had she not twisted out of the way.

"That was an interesting tactic." Said Idith, shooting a stunner of her own back at Dinua, which Dinua decided to simply block. That proved to be the right move, as Endless fired a stunning spell half a second later that hit Dinua's shield as well. Dinua was certain that if she had attempted to dodge Idith's spell, Endless would have tried to hit her, just as Idith had done a minute ago when Dinua had come out of her cartwheel.

"I was lucky to avoid that." Said Endless as she and Idith sent simultanious stunners to batter Dinua's shield.

Dinua did not bother with conversation. Amateurs and fools spoke during combat. Masters and true warriors focused on the battle. Perhaps that was what Idith and Endless were doing. They were trying to distract Dinua with their banter. Trying to unnerve her with how unnaturally calm they were being.

'They will fail.' Thought Dinua. 'I am not so easily distracted.'

Dinua crouched low and charged at Idith and Endless, dodging left and right at random, rolling and spinning on her heel, twirling like a dancer as she approached them. She weaved, ducked and dodged every single one of their spells. When Dinua was close enough, she sprang forward into a dive, flying between Idith and Endless. She turned her dive into a roll just before she hit the floor. Dinua, now behind Idith and Endless, spun around with her foot held out. Dinua's leg slammed into the back of idith's ankles, bringing the girl crashing backward onto the floor. Dinua pressed her wand to Idith's chest and said, "Stupefy". Idith was out of the duel.

Endless had spun around by then, and she fired a point black stunner at Dinua. Dinua threw herself backward against the floor, feeling the stunner graze her chest, then she rolled to the left, getting behind Endless. Dinua held her wand in both hands and cried, "Stupefy!" as Endless was turning to face her again.

Dinua was sure it was over, was sure her spell would strike Endless and win her the duel. But Endless had other ideas.

Endless had said "Protego" even as she was turning to look at Dinua. She had expected Dinua to try and stun her in the back. Endless's shield exploded outward, pushing Dinua backward across the floor.

Dinua kept her wand pointed at Endless, repeatedly saying, "Stupefy." Flash after flash of red light burst from Dinua's wand and hit Endless's shield, giving Dinua time to get to her feet and retreat a few steps. She kept blasting stunning spell after stunning spell at Endless.

In all the flashing of lights, Dinua saw one jet of red going in the opposite direction, coming back at her. Endless had redirected it. Dinua was about to bring up her own shield when-

The stunning spell collided with another that Dinua had cast. And then two other stunners that Dinua had sent after merged with them. There was a split second where Dinua watched the red ball expand, where she felt the magical energy crackling in the air, and then she knew what was going to happen before it did. She raised her arm to cover her face. The combined spell exploded.

It exploded with such force that it knocked Dinua backward, sweeping her off her feet and hurling her back through the air, completely out of the arena.

Dinua slammed onto the hard stone of the Great Hall. She felt her head hit the stone. She hadn't had any time or thought to tuck her chin to her chest to avoid such a thing. Dinua lay there, dazed. She also felt oddly cold. She heard people screaming around her, and she wondered why they were so upset and afraid. The spell had only thrown her from the platform, after all...

Dinua raised her head to look for Endless, and she was confused at the impossible sight of her hand clutching her wand near her feet. Dinua looked to her left, and saw-

'Ah.' Dinua felt a strange sense of tiredness coming over her. A tiredness, as if she had just spent the entire day running. 'Aha.' Dinua thought as she looked at the pool of red to her left. 'That is why my arm is over THERE and not HERE. That makes logical sense...'

Dinua saw Bastila running toward her, shouting something, but Dinua no longer had the strength to keep her head upright.

Her head dropped back against the cold stone, and then-

And then Dinua's view of the Great Hall's bright, sunny enchanted ceiling was hampered by a massive, floating, see-through, neon blue creature with a dozen tentacles and four glowing orange eyes.

Dinua watched the creature lower a tentacle toward her, and then Dinua's view of the creature was swallowed up in blackness.


	5. The Week of Dark Skies

Beyond The Veil is the first book in the sequel series to Heir to The Dark Lord! So read it, review it, and all that! :)

End of Authors Note!

* * *

><p>Zack just didn't understand. He didn't understand why Bastila Phoenix had carried Dinua in her own arms out of the Great Hall. He didn't understand why Bastila had taken Dinua to a random Hospital rather than to the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. He didn't understand why, after that, Bastila and Headmistress McGonagall hadn't let him or any of Dinua's friends go and visit the unconcious Dinua. He didn't understand why McGonagall hadn't let him be there when she told Dinua's family about the accident.<p>

And Zack definitely didn't understand why he had a detention to serve when one of his best friends in the world was laying somewhere alone in a Hospital with a horrific-

The scene had been replaying in Zack's mind ever since the accident. Dinua, dodging and jumping around like a spooky ninja in the dueling arena. Dinua, taking down Idith, and then starting to throw furious spells at Endless in an attempt to take HER down too.

Dinua, looking amazing and beautiful as she dueled the creepy twins.

And then everything had gone wrong, and with a bright explosion of red, Dinua had been blown out of the arena. And so had Idith and Endless. But Zack had only had eyes for Dinua as he had raced over to her, right behind Bastila. And then he had seen it. Dinua's arm laying at her feet. Blackened, burnt, ruined-

Zack shut his eyes to block out the memories. But this only made them more clear to him, and he slammed his fist on the desk. He looked at Jennifer and Casey, who were sitting together at another table. Neither of them were doing their homework either. Jennifer was staring straight ahead, her face blank. But her eyes were full of tears. Casey was hunched over, her head resting on the table. Her eyes were closed, but Zack could see the puffiness that meant that she'd been crying too.

Zack hadn't cried. But he wasn't having any fun either. And for the second time in his life, he found himself faced with an event that was so terrible that he just COULDN'T make a joke.

Zack looked at Tobias.

Tobias was sitting up straight, his face full of concentration. He was fully immersed in his Transfiguration homework, looking between the textbook and his paper with furrowed eyebrows.

Zack wanted nothing more than to punch Tobias's lights out for the second time in a week. He felt angry at Tobias. How could that idiot be enjoying his homework like a good little Ravenclaw when his friend was in the Hospital with a missing arm? How could Tobias actually be thinking clearly enough, be so UNAFFECTED that he could sit there and do HOMEWORK a few hours after his friend had gone through a horrible accident?

Zack definitely wanted to punch Tobias now. More than that, he wanted to strangle him. Grab him by his neck and shake him, ask him how he could be this way when Dinua was so hurt.

Maybe Tobias just doesn't care, Zack thought. Tobias has NEVER liked Dinua as much as the rest of us, from the moment we first met her. Anyone could see it.

The detention ended, and Zack walked to the Slytherin dormitories in a daze. He didn't say a word to Casey on the way there. Likewise, she didn't sign anything to him. Not that he would have understood what she was saying anyway.

Neither of them knew what to say to each other.

Zack headed for the boys dormitory as soon as he got into the common room. He opened the door. He was about to go inside when he realized that Casey wasn't pulling open the girls dormitory door to his right. He closed the door to the boys dormitory and turned around to find Casey standing in the middle of the common room with blank eyes.

"She's going to be okay." Zack said, going over to Casey. Her eyes focused on him. But that was all the indication she gave that she wasn't dead on her feet. "Dinua's a fighter. Heck, she's a warrior, like she loves to remind everyone." Zack swallowed. His voice didn't sound like his own to him. But he pressed on, trying for Casey. "She'll fight through this too. Haha. You think a little thing like a missing arm is going to stop her from kicking butt and running circles around everybody else?"

Casey kept staring at him.

Zack flushed, trying to think of something else he could say. "How'd your magic paint class go?"

That's when Casey started moving again. She walked past him and disappeared into the girls dormitory without so much as a glance back.

"I hope you feel better..." Zack called after her. He stood there for a moment before going into the boys dorm room, where he lay down on his four poster bed and stared up at the ceiling. He fell asleep within seconds.

He didn't sleep peacefully.

* * *

><p>Jennifer awoke on Tuesday morning feeling horrible. She had had nightmares, and she hadn't slept much because of them. She lay in her bed for a good ten minutes, deciding that there was no way she could attend classes in the state of mind she was currently in, and that she was just going to sleep and do nothing instead. She didn't care if she got into trouble. How could Jennifer possibly be expected to attend her classes like nothing had happened to Dinua? She couldn't be. No sane person could expect that of her.<p>

"Get up! We're going to class." Said a voice. It was Naren, standing at the foot of Jennifer's bed. She looked as terrible as Jennifer felt.

"No we aren't..." Jennifer mumbled.

"Yes we are. We owe it to them. You owe it to Dinua, and I owe it to my sisters."

"You don't even like them." It was out of Jennifer's mouth before she could even think. And she didn't even care that she had said it.

Slience. Blissful silence. But Jennifer didn't hear any retreating footsteps or closing doors. Which meant Naren was still there.

Jennifer sat up in bed and looked at Naren.

Naren's face was twisted into an expression of pain. "You're right. I don't like them. But they're still my sisters."

"So?" Again, Jennifer didn't feel any guilt.

Now Naren was angry. "So?! So, Dinua wasn't the only person to get hurt in that explosion! My sisters could be dead or dying, or they get to live and be all burnt and messed up for the rest of their lives! Do you really think I don't know how you feel? I DO! And I'm going to get up and keep going, for their sakes!"

"You can do that if you want to, but stop bugging me about it. I'm staying right here." Jennifer said after a long silence. She turned over onto her stomach and pulled her blanket over her head.

This time, Jennifer really DID hear Naren stomp off and slam the dormitory door shut on the way out.

'Finally,' Jennifer thought. 'Who does she think she is to tell me how to grieve?'

* * *

><p>Casey opened her eyes, finding herself laying on her side and staring at the wall. Instantly, memories of yesterday rushed to the forefront of her mind, as clear and fresh as if it had all happened a few seconds ago. Casey felt sick and dizzy as she watched it all over again in her head. Her running into the Great Hall, and then seeing that horrible explosion, and then Idith and Endless on the floor, black and burned and hurt, and the horrible smell accompanying them. And then Dinua. Dinua, shocking bright red blood all over her white robe, her arm laying on the floor.<p>

Casey couldn't have looked away even if she had wanted to. She had seen Dinua's bones, muscles and veins, seen the bloody ruined stump when Bastila had carried Dinua past her...

Casey wanted to shut her eyes, but she knew that if she did that she would just end up seeing everything in even more detail, so she forced her eyes to focus on something, a pattern on the wall, a speck of dirt on the floor, anything to keep her mind from going back to those horrible sights in the Great Hall. It didn't help. Soon, Casey was sweating and breathing hard. She felt the burning inside her stomach, felt the tears in her eyes-

She leaned off the side of her bed and let her sickness out, all over the floor. She gasped at the horrible smell and the burning in her throat. But she thought that it was better out on the floor than on herself or her bed.

Casey was shaking now. Shivering.

It was unfair! All of it was unfair. Why did someone as nice and wonderous as Dinua have to have something so horrible happen to her after just one week of school?! Why couldn't it have happened to someone nasty and mean?

Casey's mind froze up at that. How could she think something so cruel? It didn't matter if it was someone mean or not! They didn't deserve horrible things to happen to them either!

She was definitely not okay, if she could think something like that...

She got out of bed, careful to avoid her pile of sick, and went to open her trunk with shaking hands. She pulled out an old T-Shirt and set about cleaning up her mess.

"You know there are towels in the bathroom." A soft voice said from behind Casey. Casey turned around to find a pale girl with black hair and a long nose standing over her. Casey knew who this girl was. She was Olivia Snape, Jennifer's aunt, and the daughter of Severus and Sarah Snape.

Casey hadn't seen Olivia or Jennifer interact at all during their time at Hogwarts so far, so Casey thought they must not be very close.

"Hey, are you still with me?" Olivia waved her hand in front of Casey's face. Casey blinked and nodded, coming out of her thoughts.

"Phew. What happened to your friend yesterday must have really hit you hard..." Olivia's nose crinkled as she glanced at Casey's sickness again.

Casey just nodded and went back to mopping up her sickness. Olivia disappeared, then came back a moment later and crouched down beside Casey, holding a towel.

"I'll help." Olivia said, her voice hard, as if she was daring Casey to try and argue.

Casey didn't. She moved over to make more room for Olivia, and then let the girl throw the towel over Casey's sick-soaked shirt.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Casey shook her head. She got up and dug into her trunk again, grabbing a pen and paper. She wrote a short, quick sentence and showed the paper to Olivia.

"I don't talk at all. At least not with my voice. I use sign language, but I don't think you'd understand it."

Olivia frowned as she read the words, then she shook her head and brushed her hair back behind her ears. "We'll stick to yes or no questions, then." She said finally, laughing softly.

Casey felt a smile tug at her lips. But the smile was never fully formed on her lips, because she remembered why she was sick and why she was in this situation in the first place.

"Come on, we're going to get out of here and get some breakfast. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but some food in you will help with the throwing up." Olivia grabbed Casey by the arm and dragged her out of the dormitory, through the common room, and out into the hall.

Casey wanted to tell Olivia that she was still in her pajama dress and that she should at least get into her Hogwarts outfit, but Olivia wouldn't stop pulling her along, and Casey had left her paper and pen on her bed, so Casey decided that it really didn't matter that much.

And besides, the more Casey thought about it as she was dragged through the castle, the more she realized that she really WAS hungry.

* * *

><p>Human doctors were born meddlers, Dinua decided with annoyance.<p>

The fifth physician in as many hours continued explaining in a calm, patronizing voice that, although Dinua was perfectly correct in not desiring a crude, plastic prosthetic arm, she could have no objection to a lifelike techno-magical prosthetic replacement. Apparently they thought they knew her better than she knew herself. Dinua finally raised the stump of her arm in exasperated surrender and let the doctor have her way. The physician looked satisfied and not at all surprised that Dinua had relented.

The doctor beckoned to one of her nurses, and the man came forward to begin taking measurements of the stump of Dinua's left arm.

Physicians buzzed around the room snapping orders, conferring with each other, and making preparations.

Allowing the poking and prodding and the chaos of voices to fade into the background, Dinua sank into her own thoughts.

As a Wood Elf from a very long line of the most skilled warriors in Elven history, Dinua had long known who and what she was. Her philosophy of life had been as clear in her mind as her views on family, loyalty, friendships, and even her own physical abilities and limitations.

If one of those components changed, did everything else change as well?

From childhood, Dinua's parents had taught her to make her own decisions based in equal part on reason, fact, and personal belief. Therefore, she had never been one to sit passively while others made choices for her. Yet, since the loss of her arm, hadn't she done just that?

She had hardly given it a thought when she had first awoken in the Hospital. In the last week, Dinua had allowed the nurses and doctors to control her movements and communications. They would tell her when to sleep, when to do her schoolwork, bring all her meals, and select appropriate reading materials for her.

And now Dinua, who had always relied on her own mind and body, was allowing herself to be fitted with a new arm.

Had she truly changed so much?

Magic was a part of her, flowing through her body just as the blood of generations of warriors flowed through her veins. But the artificial arm was not a part of her.

If she accepted it, then she was allowing the loss of her limb to change her in ways that reached deeper than the eye could see. She did not object to changing. But this change was not for the better. If she allowed herself to change, it should be in the direction of becoming stronger or wiser.

Dinua was pulled out of her thoughts at the sight of a flash of light from a wand. The doctor stood before her holding a grotesque metallic arm, that glowed faintly with the magical energy that would allow it to move and behave as realistically, quickly, smoothly, as Dinua's real flesh and blood arm had before she had lost it.

Dinua shook her head in wordless denial.

"Now this is only temporary, of course," the doctor said with the same infuriating condescension she had used before. "Just accustom yourself to it while we're taking our readings of your body and how it interacts with the new limb."

Dinua decided then and there that she had not, in fact, changed that much. If she needed to use Magic from now on to assist her in small ways, then so be it. But she refused to become dependent on a machine that masqueraded as part of herself. Something that was so plainly a lifeless, metallic imitation.

"No," Dinua said quietly, angrily, when the doctor moved to attach the arm to her severed limb. The nurses backed away uneasily, but the doctor continued as if Dinua had not spoken.

"This is all part of the process of making you whole again," the doctor said in her maddening voice, "And that is exactly what you want."

"No," Dinua repeated. Anger seethed inside her at the doctor's confident presumption that she knew what was best.

The doctor shook her head and bent down, as if chiding a toddler. "Now, you agreed to be fitted for this new arm and-"

"I've changed my mind," Dinua said through gritted teeth, clamping down on her temper to hold it in check. She could not allow herself to lose control, not here, not like this. Despite anything that had happened, Dinua was still, first and foremost, the bridge between Humans and Wood Elves. The bridge between her people and the larger world. She could not afford to lose control.

The doctor's lips were still smiling, but grim determination shone in her eyes, indicating she would never take no for an answer. Not from any patient of HERS! The woman kept up a steady stream of talk and motioned for a nurse to help her position the prosthetic against the stump of Dinua's arm, as if the doctor thought that by forging ahead she could overwhelm her patient's determination with her own.

"Now, there's no disgrace in having a techno-magical prosthetic limb, you know. Even the great...Warrior, Alastor Moody was quick to accept one of our finest prosthetic legs only four short years ago."

Dinua acknowledged inwardly that there had been no weakness in Alastor Moody's choice. It made him no more or less than what he was. No worse or better of a warrior than he was. But he had wrestled with his own decisions and made his own choices, just as DINUA must make hers. She was certain that, were she to meet Alastor Moody, he would not ask her to do otherwise, as the people who surrounded her here in this Hospital room seemed intent on doing.

And Dinua simply could not allow this to happen to her.

"Your new arm will move and seem quite natural. The magic will allow you to feel sensations through the arm." the doctor went on in her exasperating, soothing voice, "And in a few weeks time we'll look into alchemy methods to create a real skin sheath over the arm, so it will be no different than the rest of you."

When the cold metal of the mechanical limb touched Dinua's arm, she lost the last shred of control over her anger.

"No!" Dinua shouted, her magic radiating out from her body to give the nurses and the doctor a backward shove. The arm was already clamped in place against her skin, however. The magic in the arm pulsed, and then Dinua could feel the fingers and joints as clearly as she could her real ones.

That hit Dinua with a cold finality.

"I said NO! " Dinua quite consciously used her real arm to rip the prosthetic off and fling it against the nearest wall with all her strength. It hit the wall with a clang and a crunch, and fell to the cold tile floor with a massive dent in it. The fingers were bent in all different directions.

Gasps went up from all around the room, and a dozen pair of eyes regarded her with shock and apprehension.

Having vented her fury, Dinua's voice was now quite calm. "And I meant no."

* * *

><p>"Can we see her now, PLEASE?" Zack pleaded.<p>

"It's been a week!" Jennifer put in.

"She should be awake by now." Added Tobias.

[She needs us.] Casey signed calmly, though her face was fraught with the worry that was showing on all of their faces.

Headmistress McGonagall let out a sigh. She had just come out of the Headmistresses office when they had ambushed her. Her usual stern face softened as she looked at each of them in turn. "Dinua-Overa-Seelah has been awake for several days now, but she hasn't asked to see you yet. When she does I will let you know, but until then, I'm sorry. And I must say, with what she is going through, she is right to want to be alone with herself."

"But..This is a time when she needs her friends the most!" Zack cried. "I...I have to see her, tell her a stupid joke she won't even laugh at, hold her hand...Dangit, she only has one hand now..."

McGonagall gave Zack a sympathetic look. "I understand how difficult this must be for the four of you, but I cannot allow you to see her unless she specifically requests it. She's dealing with a very serious, life changing trauma." She paused. "Come now, it's the weekend, and a beautiful Saturday morning. You should be outside on a day like this, not cooped up inside this old castle, worrying over your friend."

"But-" Zack started to protest.

"I'm sorry. But the situation is what it is. However, I will of course let you know if anything changes. Please try to enjoy your weekend."

With that, McGonagall disappeared down the corridor. The stone gargoyle jumped back into place in front of the saircase, as if it thought they would try to sneak into the Headmistresses office while McGonagall was away.

Everyone stared at each other.

[What do we do now?]

Jennifer gave Casey a half-smile, then shrugged. "We could just go to breakfast."

"Like we didn't wake up this early for nothing..." Said Tobias, shaking his head.

"Come on, you guys. Dinua will be asking for us any day now. She just has to have some time to get back into the swing of things." Zack put in, his voice light and full of false cheer.

Jennifer, Casey and Tobias voiced their agreement with Zack, but they all knew that none of them were too optimistic about the situation.

"So how's Quidditch practice?" Tobias directed at Jennifer and Zack when they had all sat down in the Great Hall and begun eating breakfast.

"Really tiring. But it's great." Jennifer replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She was smiling, and she began chattering away. "Captain Veronica is nice, and I like all my teammates! Except this mean girl called Jessica. Oh! And that James Potter kid made Gryffindor Seeker, and a boy named Joshua is a Chaser along with-"

"James Potter? As in, son of Harry Potter, the Head Auror guy, your mom's boss?" Zack interrupted, looking crestfallen.

"There's so much stuff that's wrong with that sentence." Jennifer laughed.

"Like the fact that I have to go up against the son of the most famous and talented Gryffindor Seeker in all of Hogwarts history?"

"That's what I mean! That!" Jennifer exclaimed, jabbing her fork at Zack for emphasis. "Just because James is Harry Potter's son doesn't mean he'll be as good of a Seeker as his dad! He could totally suck!"

"Riiiiight, and YOU aren't as powerful as your parents, and you DIDN'T get Parseltongue from Mrs. Phoenix, and you DIDN'T get a raging temper from your other mom-"

"I get it!" Jennifer silenced Zack by throwing a piece of toast at him.  
>"And I do NOT have a temper! And neither does Daphne!" Jennifer added, knowing full well that she was protesting in the face of an undeniable truth, like trying to stop a tidal wave with her bare hands.<p>

Zack grinned as he wiped his forehead with a napkin. "You hit me in the face with buttered bread over a few words. Case in point."

"You just wanted to say 'Case in point'..." Tobias accused, laughing.

"True." Zack answered. He threw a look at Jennifer, then grinned. "But Jenn really does have her mother's temper."

"I don't..." Jennifer mumbled feebly, blushing and looking away.

[Throwing the toast wasn't a good idea.] Casey signed, her body shaking with her unique, silent laughter.

"Sorry..." Said Jennifer to no one in particular.

Casey patted Jennifer's hand and smiled. [I bet Zack will forgive you if you give him some bacon.]

"Why would he forgive me for...Oh, right." Jennifer smirked, looking between a large plate of bacon and Zack, who had now begun to practically inhale a pile of eggs on the plate in front of him.

Casey smothered a grin. [He's a boy.] She signed unneccessarily.

Jennifer picked up the plate of bacon and set it down in front of Zack after pushing the plate of eggs out of the way.

Zack stared at her in disbelief. "What sorcery is this?!" He said in a dramatic, hushed tone of voice.

Jennifer stifled a giggle. "Sorry for throwing the toast at you."

"You're forgiven!" Zack exclaimed, digging into the bacon without so much as another glance at Jennifer. He didn't get very far, though.

Casey snapped her fingers to get Zack's attention, then she started signing at him.

"Casey wants to know how YOUR Quidditch practice is going." Jennifer informed Zack.

Zack gave Casey a big grin. "Slytherins have to stick together, huh? MY Captain, Amber, is pushing us to be the best." Zack stuck his tongue out at Jennifer, then chomped down on a piece of bacon. "Unlike Jenn's Captain, oh what's her name, Vanessa?"

Jennifer scowled. "Veronica." She corrected.

Zack ignored Jennifer and continued on, still grinning at Casey, who was looking at him with complete attentiveness and a little smile on her face. "Jenn's team is full of lazy, fun loving goofballs. MY team is serious, dedicated, and totally hardcore, thanks to Amber. She's been putting us through a few different team maneuvers already. But those are top secret." He finished, glancing at Jennifer as if she were an enemy spy.

"Consorting with the enemy, now are we?" Came a harsh voice.

"Speak of the-" Zack started, turning in his seat to look at who had just spoken.

"Devil?" Jennifer completed.

Zack grinned. "Angel." He said, taking it in stride. "Amber Angel. That'd make a good code name, wouldn't it? Or a secret order...The Amber Angel."

Amber had come up behind Zack. She set her hands on his shoulders, leaning over him and staring hard at Jennifer.

Jennifer looked away after about two seconds.

"I really hope you haven't been sabotaging your own team, because if you have, you know the penalty for that." Amber said icily, turning her gaze down on Zack.

Zack looked up at her, his grin never fading. But he did flinch at how hard Amber was gripping his shoulders. "I'd never dream of it!"

"Good. Make sure you keep your brain sharp, and don't give THAT ONE anything to work with." Amber replied, her eyes slipping over to Jennifer again.

"Right you are, Captain." Said Zack, his face adopting a serious look, even though his eyes were still lit with amusement.

Amber's grip slackened, and then her entire demeanor changed. She bent down, putting her lips to Zack's ear, and smiled brightly. "She'll try and squeeze you for information, but you won't give ANYTHING away! You're the most reliable player on my team, after all! And in more ways than one!" Amber turned her child-like smile on Jennifer. "Good luck beating us, Gryffindork! Our team is light years ahead of yours in terms of strategetic development!"

Jennifer smiled back nervously. "How do you know how my team is doing?"

Amber waved Jennifer's question away. "Oh don't worry about it! I have my sources! Just be ready to get completely DESTROYED once the games begin!"

Amber straightened up, withdrew her hands from Zack, and then walked out of the Great Hall humming a tune that sounded remarkably like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

"That's going to haunt me in my nightmares." Tobias said once Amber was gone, looking faint.

Casey nodded her agreement, her face pale.

Jennifer shook her head and stood up from the table. "Amber seems way too serious about Quidditch. I need to go find Veronica..."

Zack just shrugged at his friends. "Shut up, you're all just jealous. Amber's totally awesome." He said fondly, smiling like mad.

[If by 'jealous' you meant 'terrified' and by 'awesome' you meant 'crazy', then I'd agree...] Casey signed half-heartedly.

Zack and Tobias looked at Jennifer expectantly.

Jennifer just smiled at them. "Sorry, I don't have time to translate that!" She said loudly. She winked at Casey, then left the Great Hall in a hurry.

"Soooo, did you meet that deadline yesterday?" Zack said, turning his focus to Casey.

Casey gave him a confused look.

"You know, you were supposed to have some super cool artistic creation by yesterday to impress Professort what's his face or you'd have been kicked out of the class." Zack elaborated, grinning.

Casey started to sign, but then she remembered that neither Jennifer or Dinua were around and that Zack wouldn't understand her, so Casey settled for smiling and giving Zack a thumbs up.

"Want to show it to me?" Zack prompted. "If it's back in your trunk or something then you should go get it and bring it back to me. But if you had to give it to Professor what's his name...You should still go back to the dormitories so you can get some paper and tell me all about it."

Casey nodded and got up from the table. She grabbed Zack's arm and tried pulling him to his feet without much success.

Zack sighed and let himself be pulled out of his seat. "You want me to go with you?" Casey nodded again. "I'm not walking all the way back there!"

The look Casey gave Zack told him that she was thinking the same thing. She gave his arm a sharp tug, pulling him in the direction of the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Okay, I'll go with you!" Zack cried, rubbing his shoulder as he was led out of the Great Hall. "The things I do for friendship..."

Tobias watched Zack and Casey go, and only when they were out of sight did he turn his attention to the large plate of bacon. "Score." He said, grinning as he began helping himself to the bacon.

* * *

><p>"Hello Idith. Hello Endless." Dinua walked into the hospital room and sat down in a chair between their beds, so that she could look at them both at the same time.<p>

"You're here..." Endless's voice was faint. She looked drained and weak to Dinua, and the slow speed at which she turned her head to look at Dinua was only more evidence to support that observation. Her face was riddled with burn scars, and so were her hands. But those were the only injuries Dinua could see.

"We had heard you were in the same Hospital as us, but we didn't know you would appear here, in this room, to speak with us..." Idith said, in a whispery, weaker voice than her sister's. She did not move at all, and she coughed several times after she had spoken.

Dinua could not see Idith's face. Idith's head was wrapped up in thick white bandages, leaving only her eyes visible. A long hospital blanket covered her entire body up to her chin.

And Idith only had one eye now. Her left eye was missing.

Dinua felt a sense of connection. The Sage girls were injured, just as she was, from the magical explosion. They had no doubt been asking the same questions of themselves that Dinua had been this past week.

"It was not a difficult decision to make." Dinua answered honestly.

Endless shifted on the pillow, tilting her head to the side just barely.  
>"We wondered if you would come and see us..."<p>

"You have, and that intrigues us." Idith added quietly. Her remaining eye glinted just as disturbingly as both her eyes had before the accident. Idith stared at Dinua for a long time, then she said, "Is it pity that drove you to visit us, or guilt?"

"Why would my visit be motivated by guilt?" Dinua responded, feeling confused.

"This was your fault. The Stunning spells that collided and created the explosion were yours." Said Endless.

Dinua felt surprise go through her body. No, shock. Yes. This accident was her fault. She had caused her own injury, she had caused the injuries of Idith and Endless. It was her fault.

Had Dinua decided to visit them because of a sense of guilt, then? When Dinua had made the decision, she had not felt any particular emotion. She had only thought it was the proper thing to do, nothing more, and nothing less. Any Elf would have done it for a fellow warrior injured in combat, or in a combat exercise.

It was simply the right and proper thing to do. Still, had some part of Dinua felt guilty? Had a part of her realized that she was at fault, even before she had had it pointed out to her by Endless?

"I apologize for causing the accident that resulted in your grievous injuries." Dinua said softly, bowing her head.

"You didn't escape injury either." Said Idith, her eye gazing at the long, empty left arm sleeve of Dinua's robe.

Dinua reached across herself with her good arm and pulled up her sleeve, bunching it up around her shoulder, revealing her stump to the Sage girls. The arm that had been severed just below the shoulder.

"That will put an end to most of your physical activities." Idith whispered, closing her eye for a moment.

"I'll adapt." Dinua said simply.

"I wish I could get away with saying that..." Idith replied.

"I'm here for you, sister." Endless said, looking over at Idith, her eyes glittering. But not with any strangeness or disturbance. With tears.

Dinua dropped her sleeve and looked down at her lap. It was a long time before she looked up at Idith. "What are your injuries? How...How severe are they?" She asked hesitantly.

Idith's eye stared back at Dinua. "I was laying unconcious on the floor when the explosion happened, if you'll recall. You stunned me."

Yes, Dinua did recall that.

"Endless was behind her shield, and you, Dinua, you were far enough away not to be hit with the full force of the blast. Your mask and magically enchanted robe prevented you from getting burned, even if the explosion did still take your arm from you and throw you a considerable distance. But I...I was laying on the floor. I wasn't able to do anything to minimize the damage." Idith continued, her voice completely blank. But it was not the girl's usual lack of any form of expression.

Dinua could tell it was deliberate. Carefully, obviously deliberate.

"My injuries are my own." Idith whispered.

"And she worked hard to get this way." Said Endless.

Dinua stared at them in surprise, but she said nothing. She was speechless.

Suddenly, Idith moved. Her right hand came out from under the blanket. She reached up to her head and felt over the bandages. Then, with a shaking hand, she slowly and carefully began unwrapping them.

"You don't have to do this." Endless said, her eyes glued to her sister. Emotion shone through in her voice for the first time: Concern.

"I rather think that I do." Idith replied softly, not even pausing in removing the cloth bandage wrap.

When Idith was finished, she used her right arm to push herself up into a sitting position, letting the light of the room spill over her.

Dinua's mind reeled. She felt an intense wave of nausea overtake her, and she saw the room spin and shudder. She almost fell out of her chair. She flinched, and she looked away and shut her eyes.

All without a concious thought, without meaning to do so.

Idith started to laugh, only to end up in an extreme coughing fit. "Is it that terrible, warrior?"

Warrior.

Dinua opened her eyes and turned her head back toward Idith. She forced herself to look. She considered Idith's question, even as she fought against the spinning room and sick feelings again. For the first time in her life, despite everything she had been taught and how she had been raised, despite Elven law and moral code, Dinua decided right then and there to go against it all and do something unthinkable.

She decided to lie.

"No. It's not that terrible." Dinua whispered. Finally, she could bear it no longer, and she closed her eyes and looked away again.

"I've been told that I would have been dead if the magical healers hadn't started working on me within thirty seconds of my arrival here." Idith said, as if she had not heard Dinua speak.

"They were very prompt." Endless agreed, her tearful gaze on her sister.

"Still, after I wasn't at any risk of dying, there was only so much the doctors could do from there, whether they were using magic or the latest in medical technology. And they used both." Idith continued.

Idith's hand came up again.

Dinua thought Idith was going to re-wrap her bandages, but she was mistaken.

Idith wasn't done showing herself yet. She pulled the blanket off her body, slowly, careful not to let it fall off the bed, least she not be able to pull it back over herself. She couldn't get it all the way off, however.

Idith let go of the blanket and lay her hand over her stomach. Wordlessly, she turned her eye on Dinua.

Dinua knew what Idith wanted from her. And Dinua could not possibly refuse. She got up from her chair and walked over to Idith's bedside. Dinua carefully pulled the blanket the rest of the way off of Idith, keeping her focus on her own hands as she did so. Dinua folded the blanket up at the foot of Idith's bed, carefully looking only at the blanket.

Dinua stepped back. When she could delay and avoid it no longer, she looked at Idith in her entirety. And then, the moment Dinua's mind realized what she was seeing, Dinua felt the floor rushing up to meet her, and the world became dark.

Singing. Someone was singing. Dinua opened her eyes and pushed herself up off of the cold hospital floor. Yes, she was still in the hospital. And, looking around, she found that she was still in Idith and Endless's room.

And then there was the singing.

Dinua was surprised to find that the source of the singing was Idith and Endless, as well as a tiny, white object on Idith's bedside table that was creating the music.

Ah. So they were singing along with it.

"Hello again." Said Endless, stopping her singing.

Idith stopped as well. She pressed her finger to the little white object, and the music stopped entirely.

Dinua got to her feet. "You did not try and help me?" She asked. She did not know how to feel about that.

"Fainting isn't fatal." Said Endless.

"I knew you would be up again soon." Idith added.

Dinua steeled herself to look at Idith again, but she found that Idith's blanket was once again covering her up. But Idith had not replaced her bandages around her head. Dinua wondered if she should apologize to Idith for her reaction, but then Dinua dismissed the idea. Her reaction had been perfectly reasonable considering what she had seen.

Dinua sat back down in her chair again. Her eyes found the white object again. She knew it was a piece of technology, and that it seemed to make music, but that was all Dinua knew about it. She was interested. Perhaps she could learn to use technology and magic together, rather than only learning about magic...

"What is that?" Dinua asked, nodding her head at the piece of technology.

Idith gave Dinua a look of surprise. She stared at Dinua for a few moments, seeming to be deep in thought, then she said, "It's an I-Pod. It's a music player."

"It does not create the music?" Dinua asked, confused.

Idith shook her head a little. "It only plays music that's already been recorded."

Dinua's eyes brightened. "Technology can record sound to be heard later?"

"Technology can do a lot of things." Endless told Dinua.

Dinua was already thinking about all of the possibilities and options that that technology could give to her and her people. She needed to know more. "Are there any combat based technologies?"

Idith and Endless looked at one another.

"Oh yes. There are guns, missiles, grenades, bombs, and-" Idith broke into another coughing fit. Dinua waited patiently.

"Biological warfare." Said Endless, picking up where the still coughing Idith had left off.

"What is that?" Dinua addressed Endless, even though Idith had stopped coughing at this point.

"It's not thought of as very honorable." Endless replied. She paused. "Do you know what viruses are? Illnesses? Sickness?"

"Yes." Dinua knew very well what those were. Plenty of Elves became ill every year with something or another that caused them varying symptoms.

"Biological warfare is, put simply, making a virus and sending it to infect your enemies. But the viruses in biological warfare tend to be deadly, and very fast acting." Endless explained, a half-smile on her face. "Burning skin, rapid dehydration, breaking down the body at the smallest level...That sort of thing. It leads to very painful, very slow deaths."

Yes, that sounded very dishonorable to Dinua. An enemy should be killed as swiftly and cleanly as possible. There should be no suffering, no torture.

"What of the others? Guns, missiles, grenades and bombs?" Dinua said, wanting the topic to move on. She needed something for her people, something that they could use just as viably as their blades and their bows and arrows.

So Endless and Idith told her.

They told her of guns that could rip a hundred holes into a person within ten seconds. They told her of rocket launchers and other explosive devices. And they even told her of older technology, such as harpoons and cannons.

After two hours of long discussion, Dinua concluded that all of the weapons were acceptable, and could be very useful to her people. Especially the harpoons and rocket launchers. Machine guns and pistols would do nothing against a giant's body, Dinua had realized. They would be comparable to irritating bee stings, to a giant. However, if the bees were to sting them several times per second in the eye...

As for magic, Dinua had found many DEFENSIVE possibilities in it. From magical fields that could destroy anyone unwanted who touched it, to charms that would cause someone in a certain area to forget where they were or why they were there, to magic that could make an entire city invisible to the eyes, ears, and nose.

Yes. Perhaps her people would finally be able to do much more than constantly scramble to avoid extinction, to simply survive. They would have true safety. They would have freedom, and they would have the luxury of time. And they would be able to truly fight back against the giants. They would be able to do more than get an occassional lucky kill every time the giants came crashing through the walls to kill and eat them.

Idith turned on her I-Pod again. The music brought Dinua out of her thoughts. Idith was smiling now, and so was Endless. Yes, Dinua had forced herself to look Idith in the eye over the past several hours, and now Dinua was at a point where it did not cause her to feel so disturbed and sick.

Idith titled her head at Dinua. "Would you like to sing with us?"

"We've wondered whether Wood Elves are as good of singers as they are warriors." Endless said.

"I- I do not know the words...And I..." Dinua stopped. She looked down at her hand in her lap.

"You'll adapt."

Dinua looked up at Endless. Endless was smiling at her, looking at Dinua with warm eyes. Dinua turned her gaze to Idith. Idith, too, was smiling at her. Idith's eye held no disturbance, nothing that was causing Dinua to feel threatened, nothing that had previously caused Dinua to feel panic and fear.

"You HAVE proven yourself to be a quick study." Idith complimented. "I'm sure you'll pick up the lyrics without any trouble."

The bottom of Dinua's mask vanished. She smiled at Idith and Endless. "Then let us sing this song."

Idith resumed playing her music, and she and Endless began to sing once more.

"Perfect, by nature..."

"I come to self indulgance..."

"Just what we all need..."

"Never was and never will be-"

"Have you no shame, don't you see me?"

"You know you've got everybody fooled..."

Dinua sat and listened to Idith and Endless sing on. They were beautiful, talented singers, and their voices were powerful and loud despite their injuries. And it seemed to make them genuinely happy to sing.

On their second round of the song, Dinua joined in.

"Never was and never will be-" Dinua's voice rang out, pitch perfect, sliding into the song with Idith and Endless, who seemed to be sharing the lyrics between themselves without even discussing it.

"-You don't know how you'll be screaming." Endless sung, her eyes shining with joy.

"Can't find yourself..." Sang Idith, her surprised eye on Dinua.

Dinua smiled, staring right back at Idith. "Lost in your lies..." Dinua sang her verse, feeling a great surge of enjoyment go through her. Yes, Dinua could sing, and what was more, she loved it.

The chorus hit again. Idith, Endless, and Dinua sang at the same time now, perfectly in sync with one another. They were one voice.

"I know the truth now! I know who you are! And I don't love you anymore!"

"Never was and never will be, you don't know how you'll be screaming!"

"And somehow you've got everybody-"

"Never was and never will be, you're not here and you can't see me!"

"Somehow now you're everybody's fool..."

The song soon came to an end, leaving the girls in silence.

"Thank you for allowing me to join you in your singing." Dinua said to Idith and Endless. "I enjoyed it immensely."

"And we enjoyed your company." Idith replied.

"We're not so bad, are we?" Endless asked.

"Once you took the time to speak to us." Idith said.

Dinua smiled behind her mask. "This is a fact."

"Will you be going back to Hogwarts soon?" Dinua asked.

"I'm barely even injured, except for a few bruises and scrapes." Endless said, as if she were oblivious to the burn scars all over her face and hands. "I'm only still here because I need to be here for Idith."

"I'm afraid I won't be going anywhere soon." Idith said. An empty, ghost of a laugh escaped her lips. It sounded as if she were merely taking a breath rather than laughing.

"What of the prosthetic limbs?" Dinua asked softly. "The doctors attempted to fit me with one yesterday, but I refused for...For my own reasons."

"I'll get my new limbs tomorrow, but I'll still have to stay here so I can get used to them." Idith answered. Her eye turned on Endless. "And I would like my sister to help me to learn how to use them."

Endless smiled. "I'll be be with you the entire time."

"What about you?" Endless directed at Dinua.

"Will you be going back to Hogwarts soon yourself?" Idith elaborated.

"Before spending these many hours with you today, I was not sure." Dinua replied. "But now I am sure. I will return to Hogwarts within the hour, and I will put my friends' fears and worries to rest. No doubt they are very upset over my absence and injury."

"No doubt." Idith repeated, a small smile on her lips, as if she found that amusing for some reason. "When you do return, thank Professors Phoenix, Sylvia and Longbottom for saving us."

Dinua nodded seriously. "I promise to do so as soon as possible."

"That shouldn't too hard of a promise to keep." Endless cut in. "It's a Saturday afternoon, so none of the teachers will be holding classes."

"This is a fact. I would not wish to return to Hogwarts on a day full of classes. I believe it would be quite overwhelming and difficult to adjust myself to."

"You make a good point. We'll try to return next Saturday, then." Said Idith.

"Now you know when to expect us." Endless said.

Dinua stood up from her chair. "I hope your recovery is as swift and trouble-free as possible." She told the Sage girls, her voice soft.

"I'm not even that hurt." Endless retorted, her eyes getting their old, unnerving glint back for a few short seconds.

Dinua simply nodded. She understood what Endless was doing now. "Of course you aren't." She whispered. Then she turned and left the room.

* * *

><p>"We should start a food fight." Zack stated, preparing to throw an apple at another table.<p>

"No! Put that down!" Jennifer snapped, reaching for Zack's arm. He half rose from his seat, holding the apple out of her reach.

"Food fight, food fight, food fight-" Tobias chanted, grinning and holding up a chicken wing.

[Please don't.] Casey signed, ducking her head low in her seat, as if to avoid the food that was sure to start flying at any moment.

"No! No food fight!" Jennifer said sternly, glaring at the boys.

"Come on, what're they going to do? Put us in detention?" Zack challenged, grinning madly. He made as if to throw the apple, but he held onto it at the last second.

"Food fight, food fight, food fight!" Tobias continued to chant.

"My mom will be really mad at us! PLEASE don't do this!" Jennifer said, her eyes going to the staff table, where Bastila sat talking to Professor Hagrid. "She'll go, 'Why didn't you pick better friends?' and 'I'm so disappointed in you for not stopping them!'"

"So? It's lunch, it's Saturday, I want a food fight!" Zack got up from his seat, went to throw the apple across the Great Hall, and froze.

[Oh thank god.] Casey's face shone with relief. She raised her head up again and resumed eating.

Then it got weirder. Zack STILL didn't move. And he was looking UP.

And he wasn't the only one.

Slowly, every student in the Great Hall began pointing and talking.

Jennifer looked up herself, and saw what everyone was making such a fuss about.

"No!" She shrieked, jumping to her feet.

Zack's grin looked like it would split his face in half as he, too, stared at what had caught everyone's attention. "Yes!" He said, pumping his fist in the air.

"Is that what I think it is? Is that WHO I think it is?" Tobias said over the noise and commotion.

[She wouldn't!] Casey's eyes were wide as she craned her neck to look.

"I think she IS!" Jennifer replied. "Come on!"

Jennifer, Casey, Tobias, and Zack hurried over to the side of the Great Hall, where all the students and teachers were gathering now.

Above them, very, very high up near the ceiling of the Great Hall, a rope was hanging down out of the windows that the owls usually came through.

And on the end of that rope, steadily making her way down the wall, was Dinua-Overa-Seelah. The closer she got, the more Jennifer could see.

The rope was wound around Dinua's waist, and she was lowering herself down with her arm, steady and careful. When she was only a few feet above the floor, she let the rope go and jumped the rest of the way down. She reached into the empty left sleeve of her robe and pulled out her wand, then pointed her wand at the rope around her waist and severed it by saying "Diffindo".

Then Dinua turned her attention to the crowd around her. She blinked several times, as if she hadn't noticed them until then. "Ah...Greetings."

"Dinua-Overa-Seelah, why I have NEVER seen such a thing done in all my years of teaching at this school!" McGonagall said, her voice faint.

Dinua pulled her hood off and let her hair fall freely around herself. Then she bowed her head at Headmistress McGonagall. "I apologize for causing a disturbance. You may punish me as you see fit." Dinua's green eyes were bright, and she still wore her mask.

"What could have possibly possessed you to do such an incredibly dangerous and outrageous thing like that?" McGonagall asked, clutching her hand to her chest.

Dinua pointed her wand at her left sleeve. "Diffindo." She said again. Her sleeve floated down to the floor. She looked at McGonagall. "This." Dinua answered, parting her ahir and raising the stump of her arm to McGonagall.

"I needed to know that I could still achieve my dreams and desires, despite this injury." Dinua stated. She lowered her stump, and it disappeared underneath her shining, beautiful white hair. "I have just achieved one of them. I am now confident that I am still able to achieve the others."

McGonagall's face softened considerably. After a long silence, she nodded. "Very well then. You will not be receiving any detentions, and I will not be taking any House points from Gryffindor today. But I must ask that you never again do anything as drastic as rapelling into the Great Hall if ever you find yourself in need of having your self-confidence restored again."

"I understand. Thank you." Dinua replied. "I believe I see my friends near the back of the crowd."

"Then by all means, go to them." Said McGonagall, smiling slightly.

Dinua nodded, then started pushing her way through the crowd. But she didn't immediately go to her friends. Instead, she went over to the other teachers.

"Idith and Endless Sage wished for me to deliver their thanks, in regards to your swiftness in acting to save their lives." Dinua said, her eyes going between Professor Sylvia, Professor Neville Longbottom, and Professor Bastila Phoenix.

"Thank you." Said Professor Longbottom.

Professor Sylvia nodded.

"Thank you for delivering the message." Bastila said, smiling warmly at Dinua. "How is your arm doing?"

"It is not painful." Dinua answered.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Do you still wish to have me in the dueling club?" Dinua asked, uncertain.

"Of course!" Bastila said instantly. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"I..." Dinua ran her hand through her hair. "It's unimportant." She said finally.

"Your pride isn't a weakness." Bastila said quietly.

Dinua startled, as if she had just realized what she was doing with her hair, and she jerked her hand down to her side. "I- I will give it more thought."

"That's all I can ask of you."

"I believe my friends are quite anxious to speak with me again." Dinua said after a short pause.

"I believe that, too."

Dinua turned to leave, recognizing the dismissal in Bastila's tone.

"Dinua-Overa-Seelah." Bastila said quickly.

Dinua turned back around.

Bastila smiled radiantly. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Dinua said sincerely.


End file.
